The Long Road of Love: Step One
by just.x.a.x.rose
Summary: Since they were children, it has been decided that one of the Higurashi twins would marry Sasuke Uchiha to benefit both clans. But the fact that Kagome and Kikyou can't stand to be in the same room as their 'fiancée' might be a little problematic...
1. Here Comes the Brides

***,'~ Chapter 1; Here Comes the Brides ~,'***

This _sucked_.

Scowling darkly to himself in annoyance, Sasuke glanced up at the sea of impassive faces around him, his irritation growing when he noticed that none of them seemed to even realize he was there despite his mother's earlier claim that he was the reason for the formal gathering today. Why, he didn't know, since it wasn't his birthday and he hadn't done anything to be celebrated recently (well, his kunai throwing was getting better, but that didn't call for anything like this) and none of the adults even looked at him, all too busy talking about 'negotiations' and 'engagements' whatever those were.

Sighing heavily, Sasuke wished that his brother was there to explain things to him. His mother was being unusually vague about what was going on, and although he didn't want to admit it, he was sort of scared to ask his father to tell him. What if Father thought that he was stupid or something, since he couldn't figure it out by himself? Even at five years old, this was a very real fear for Sasuke, who knew that his father was disappointed that he wasn't a genius like Itachi. This thought had the young Uchiha sinking into a more sullen pose, a frown curling at the edges of his lips. It wasn't his fault that Itachi was so perfect, after all…

"Sasuke, don't slouch like that." Mikoto scolded her son quietly, her small hand gliding down his back to forcibly straighten his spine back into a proper position. The pale boy almost rolled his eyes, but caught himself before the damning gesture could be made. It figured that they only noticed him when he was doing something wrong. Rather than dwell on this though, Sasuke turned back to his mother, impatience clearly coloring his young face.

"Okaa-sama, I'm bored. Do I really have to be here today?" The young Uchiha whined out. After all, he was only wasting his time at this stupid grown up party, when he could be training and working to someday surpass his brother. Sasuke knew that such a feat would not be accomplished easily, since Itachi was one of the best shinobi to ever live, but the boy refused to give up until he was just as amazing.

"_Yes_, Sasuke." Mikoto replied, exasperation tinting her voice before she smiled down at her son gently when he pulled a face at her tone. "Don't be like that, Sasuke. Today you're going to meet someone very important. But only if you stay quiet and behave yourself, young man. Any more complaints and I'll send you back to the main house for the rest of the night."

At that promise, the five year old visibly brightened, curiosity and eagerness alit in his dark eyes. Someone important? A super strong ninja to teach him cool stuff, perhaps? Practicing his aim and the other basics was boring, and Sasuke wanted to learn all the cool tricks his brother could do. Unfortunately, Itachi and their father were always too busy to help the boy with his training all that often, and no one else in the clan was as good as them, so Sasuke figured that he was better off training alone then relying on the help of a less qualified ninja. If that was who he was meeting then this boring party would be well worth it.

Mikoto hid a smile as Sasuke immediately went quiet, his dark eyes shining eagerly with childish curiosity. Though he wasn't the shinobi prodigy that her eldest child was, Sasuke was absolutely adorable, and even at his young age he already showed signs of inheriting the pride and determination that were the cornerstone of her husband's personality. That wasn't to say that Itachi wasn't proud and determined, but there was a something about her solitary first born that was rather strange, even by Uchiha standards. But then, that tended to be the mark of a true genius, wasn't it?

The thought of Itachi had her eyes flickering back to the entrance of the park with a thoughtful frown at her son's continued absence. She hadn't realized that an escort mission would take this long… or maybe it just felt like that because of all that was at stake?

_Peace with Konoha, proper respect for the Uchiha clan, potential for new power in our blood…_ Turning, Mikoto studied her youngest son once more, smiling at the model behavior her son was showing after her vague promise. _…And Sasuke's happiness and future._

Itachi, she knew, didn't fully approve of the plans that Fugaku had made without their knowledge. But he liked the idea of war with Konoha far less, and thus bit his tongue on the matter and agreed to see how things played out. Mikoto was anxious as well, and she was sure that Fugaku felt the same, though he didn't show it.

But then, how else were they supposed to feel when the future of their clans rested on the shoulders of three five year olds?

* * *

><p>"Kagome, stop fidgeting."<p>

Jumping at her grandmother's stern tone, Higurashi Kagome flushed under the look of disapproval she was getting from the elderly miko before ducking her head and mumbling out an apology.

She'd only wanted to get a more comfortable seat on the horse…

Before she could explain this to her grandmother though, a cold voice to her right cut in sharply in her defense.

"We've been riding for nearly ten hours now, _Obaa-sama_. Can you blame her for being restless?"

Higurashi Kaede sighed through her nose as Kagome eyed her elder twin curiously. While generally a quiet, reserved and unusually aloof child, Kikyou was hardly ever this frosty this adults that she respected, and up until recently their grandmother had been one of those adults.

_Then again, she's been pushing people away more since Mama died_. Kagome mused to herself as she frowned at her twin, who kept her steely eyes trained on the path in front of them. _And she's not happy about Onigumo-oji-san giving us to Konoha like this, either._

Not that Kagome was thrilled at the thought herself, but she at least tried to look at the bright side of the matter. After all, as much as she loved Midori-no-Kuni, it was a terribly small village, with less than a hundred people, and being the heiresses to the Higurashi clan, Kikyou and Kagome were always stifled by rules and propriety, and never got the chance to live like other girls their age, especially after a horrible illness got the better of their mother, and left the girls and their infant brother Souta orphaned. Konoha was big though, with a lot to offer and explore, and they were bound to make a lot of friends there, right?

Chancing a quick peek at her grandmother to see that the woman was absorbed in her own thoughts, Kagome twisted around to peer up at the shinobi who was riding with her to keep her from falling off the horse and tugged at the ninja's shirt in order to get his attention. One the teen's dark eyes were focused on her, Kagome leaned in closer to whisper to the older boy.

"Shinobi-san? Are there a lot of kids my age in Konoha?"

The ninja blinked for a moment at the question, and Kagome noticed how tired the teen looked. Maybe she should ask Obaa-sama to give him some of her special bedtime tea, to help him sleep…?

"Aa." The boy replied at last, his eyes going back to the road. Kagome's eyebrows drew together in confusion at the vague answer, but the boy continued without any further prompting from her. "Other than my brother, there are many children in Konoha, from both civilian and ninja families." Kagome grinned up at the boy in thanks for his answer, then turned back around to face the road before her grandmother saw her and scolded her again.

"That's good." Kagome said with a smile, glancing at her sister. "Maybe if she makes a few friends in Konoha, nee-chan won't be so mad anymore."

Itachi's eyebrow arched at the girl's logic, but the young shinobi said nothing as his eyes followed the same path to where the elder twin was riding a ways off from the rest of them, noting the almost pained look on his cousin's face. Apparently, the young girl's attitude wasn't making things easy for Shisui. Kaede had warned them that the twins were still a bit upset at being uprooted and having their lives plotted out without their consent- something Itachi sympathized with- and Kikyou especially was being difficult for the Konoha nins and her grandmother, in any way that she could. On the other hand, the only signs that Kagome was troubled were the somber looks that passed her face when she thought no one was looking.

"I require rest."

All attention went back to the elder twin at that announcement, annoyance clear on the faces of almost every ninja present as Kaede sighed deeply.

"Kikyou…" The elderly miko started before the glare her granddaughter sent her surprised her into silence.

"We've been riding all day, Obaa-sama. I only need a minute to stretch my legs. Or can I not even be granted that much anymore?" the child asked icily. In front of him, Itachi felt Kagome go stiff, her blue eyes wide as she stared at her sister. Shaking his head, Itachi pulled the horse to a stop, drawing the attention off of Kikyou and to himself instead.

"We are already behind schedule anyways." Itachi said softly when he saw the curious looks his clansmen were shooting him. "I'm sure a few minutes won't make any more of a difference. I'll explain things to my father." Itachi could practically hear the wheels turning in the minds of the other shinobi as he dismounted from the horse before they complied with his order. They were tired themselves, though they didn't want to admit it, and a break would be a nice reprieve.

Once he was on his feet, Itachi turned to lift Kagome off of the horse, silently surprised at how light the five year old was compared to his younger brother. Setting the girl on her feet, Itachi steadied her as she swayed for a moment before finding her center of gravity. Nodding in acknowledgement as the girl smiled up at him in thanks, Itachi turned to keep an eye on Shisui as he followed the heir's example and set Kikyou down as well. Unlike her sister, Kikyou wasted no time getting her bearings, and as soon as her sandals touched earth she swept away from the group and towards a nearby meadow without so much as a passing glance at any of them, settling herself down underneath a large oak tree. Kaede shook her head disapprovingly at the behavior before turning her attention to the younger twin with a pleading light in her eyes.

"Kagome, could you…?" Without even waiting for her grandmother to finish her thought, Kagome nodded to the elderly miko with a small smile before bolting to follow her older twin.

"Is it alright to let those two wander off like that?" Shisui asked Kaede with a frown. While he was happy to get a break from the snippy little girl, he still had a mission to accomplish, one with his clan's future on the line, and that always came before any personal feelings he might have.

"It will be fine." Kaede replied as she pulled herself off of her horse. Unlike the twins, she didn't have a ninja accompanying her on the animal's back, which likely had to do with the fact that Kikyou and Kagome were the priority of the mission. "Kikyou is just having trouble adjusting. Kagome will get through to her, though. As sisters, those two have a bond stronger than anything I have seen."

Shisui said nothing to that, but glanced skeptically in the twins' direction taking note of the way Kagome sprawled ungracefully on the grass next to her prim, uptight sister. He couldn't imagine two people more different than one another, and doubted that they were really as close as Kaede was hinting. Still, he hoped the younger twin could get Kikyou to relax, even just a little bit. Otherwise, this 'mission' would be doomed to failure before it even started.

* * *

><p><em>It's not fair.<em>

_It's_ not _fair._

_It's not_ FAIR!

Kikyou had always prided herself on her maturity. Whereas Kagome was impulsive and constantly getting in trouble almost everywhere she turned, Kikyou never acted without thinking things through first. It was something everyone in Midori had praised her for, and something everyone expected of her despite her young age.

But deep down, she couldn't change the fact that she was still a five year old girl.

It wasn't fair that Mama died and left her and her siblings in the care of their power hungry uncle Onigumo. It wasn't fair that Onigumo wasted almost no time selling them off to the Uchiha clan. It wasn't fair that Kagome and Kikyou had to leave their home, their brother and everything they'd ever known to marry some boy they never met before. And it certainly wasn't fair that they had no say in the matter at all, and that no one in the clan would stand up and protect her and Kagome from their uncle's greed.

"Nee-chan?"

Hastily swiping at her face so that Kagome wouldn't see the tears that had gathered in her eyes as she was thinking, Kikyou glanced up into the worried blue eyes of her twin, trying to compose herself the best she could. The look on Kagome's face told her that she was far from successful.

Heedless of the nice kimono she was wearing, Kagome flopped down onto the grass with a heavy sigh before turning on her side to face her twin.

"I don't like it either, you know." Kagome admitted softly to Kikyou. Kikyou smiled without humor at her sister's confession, not at all surprised.

"I know." She said, studying the clouds so that she wouldn't have to look into her sister's eyes. "I'm surprised you're not doing anything about it." Kagome was a lot smarter than most people gave her credit for, and very intuitive. She was also generally very vocal whenever she found something unjust, which was why Kikyou couldn't believe she was going along with this nonsense without so much as a peep. That's why Kikyou was mad at Kagome too, even if she didn't really want to be since Kagome was just as helpless in all this as she was. From the corner of her eye, Kikyou could see her sister frown at the accusation laced in her words.

"I was afraid that if I said anything, they would've just taken you and left me behind." Kagome admitted, plucking a blade of grass out of the ground and tearing at it absentmindedly. "They only need one of us, after all." Kikyou froze at her sister's matter-of-fact observation. She hadn't thought of it herself, but it was true; the Uchiha clan DID only need one of the twins to marry the youngest heir of the clan. The only reason both of them were going to stay with the clan was so that he had at least some choice in the matter, but if one of them was more difficult than the other, then of course the clan would choose the other twin instead.

And for all that she couldn't stand the thought of marrying some boy she didn't know, Kikyou refused to stand by and let her sister be taken from her. Anger deflating, Kikyou turned to look at Kagome, who was giving her a smile that made her feel even worse about how she'd been acting. Biting her lip, Kikyou reached out and took Kagome's hand in her own, watching as the blade of grass Kagome had been playing with fluttered lightly to the ground.

"I'm sorry." Kikyou apologized quietly. "I didn't- I should have-!" Kagome squeezed their clasped hands lightly, cutting off the rest of Kikyou's apology.

"I want you to be happy, Kikyou. No matter what." Kagome told her twin before fixing a scolding look on her face. "You don't smile enough, you know." Unbidden, Kikyou felt her lips turn upwards at the familiar complaint from her twin, which always earned Kagome that rare expression from Kikyou.

"You smile enough for the both of us." Kikyou returned as she always did when her sister voiced that particular complaint, which made Kagome grin widely.

"Better now?" Kagome asked hopefully, tilting her head as she studied her once morose twin.

"Actually… yes." Kikyou answered, sounding a little surprised. Then again, she shouldn't be. Kagome always seemed to know how to change her moods with almost no effort, whether it was to get under her skin or make her feel better again.

"Good!" Kagome chirped, pulling herself to her feet and tugging at her twin's hand. "Now come on. Obaa-sama's been worried." Kikyou's eyes turned to see that their grandmother was indeed hovering at the edge of the road with a concerned look on her face. Seeing Kikyou's thoughtful expression, Kagome added, "She's upset too, you know. She wants to help us, but can't now that Onigumo-oji-san is in charge. It took a long time for her to even get them to agree to let her come live with us as an instructor while we're in Konoha." Sensing what her twin wanted, Kikyou sighed.

"I'll apologize to her for how I was behaving earlier. The ninjas, too." That promise earned Kikyou a beaming smile from Kagome as she helped her back up. She was still a little upset with the elderly woman, even if she knew Kagome's words were true, but she was willing to put that aside for now.

Studying Kagome's face as the younger twin pulled her back to the horses by their joined hands, Kikyou felt determination rise up in her as she drank in her twin's bright, eager smile, marveling at how simple her twin was to please.

_Kagome is meant for better then people who spend their lives in blood and deceit. I won't let them take her._ The girl promised herself silently, eyes steeling as she resolved to protect her twin from the Uchihas. _People like that would only make a kind, honest girl like her miserable._

She would marry Sasuke Uchiha, not for Onigumo, or the clan, or her grandmother, and certainly not out of love for the boy himself, but so that Kagome wouldn't have to. She was better suited to be a ninja's wife then Kagome, and even if she wasn't Kagome deserved better than a life like that.

As Kikyou plotted, she never noticed the sharp eyes of Uchiha Itachi watching her every move.

* * *

><p>Never in his young life had Sasuke ever felt so betrayed.<p>

"Okaa-sama! You said I'd meet someone important!" Sasuke said sourly, scowling at his mother as he pointed an accusing finger to the identical girls his brother had brought to their lands. "They're just _girls_!"

Girls, Sasuke knew from his five years of experience, were bad news for him in any way, shape or form. They were loud, annoying and weak. The older ones would always pinch his cheeks or mess up his hair or hug him so tight that he couldn't even breath as the cooed about how cute he was and what a heartbreaker he'd grow up to be. The ones his age weren't much better, always giggling and blushing and following him around, trying to get him to play that stupid house game when he was trying to train… all in all, it made girls very irritating to the five year old, and the two in front of him even more so, since they'd just wasted his whole afternoon and got him all dressed up for nothing.

"Sasuke!" Mikoto scolded, blushing slightly at her son's reaction. "Be polite!"

"Well they are." Sasuke muttered under his breath, glaring at the girls again.

The two girls looked almost exactly alike. Both were wearing identical pink kimonos with yellow and white obis tied into a butterfly's knot behind them. Both had pale skin, blue eyes and black hair that had been swept up neatly into buns and accented with white flowers. They had the same faces, were the same height and even wore the same looks of surprise and confusion at the moment. The two looked incredibly girly and boring, and certainly not worth the trouble they'd caused him all morning.

At least not until one of them got over her shock enough to match his scowl with one of her own.

"Are you always this rude to your guests?" She snapped, hands on her hips as her blue eyes pierced into the boy. All her thoughts of making the best of the situation had gone down the tubes at Sasuke's attitude. Leaving home to someday marry a ninja she didn't know was one thing, but no one told her he was gonna be a total jerk!

"Kagome!" Kaede started to scold, only to be brushed off by Mikoto, who was starting to get over her embarrassment at her son's initial reaction to the girls.

"No no, it's alright. Sasuke knows better than that." She said with a pointed look at her son. While she had figured that open declarations of love on first sight would be a little much to ask for, she had hoped that Sasuke would've tried to be friendly to the girls, or at the very least _polite_. "Sasuke, these girls are Kagome-chan and Kikyou-chan of the Higurashi Clan. They're a very powerful and noble clan, and Kagome-chan and Kikyou-chan are learning to be priestesses, just like you're studying to be a ninja." Mikoto explained to her son gently.

This new information didn't impress Sasuke any more than his initial impression of them did, and Mikoto couldn't help but give an aggravated sigh, well aware that the clan members were watching the interactions carefully and that her five year old was basically blowing their one shot at a peaceful resolution with the elders of Konoha straight to hell. Thankfully, the so far silent twin (Kikyou, if the grandmother's earlier scolding was true) managed to defuse the situation with a polite bow to the pair before her.

"I am pleased to make your acquaintance, Uchiha-san." She said politely to Mikoto before turning her attention to Sasuke with a detached smile. "Sasuke-san, it is… _nice_ to meet you as well." Mikoto smiled, encouraged by the young girl's manners as Shisui raised an eyebrow from where he was eavesdropping next to the impassive Itachi.

"I don't know what the younger one said, but the older one's attitude has completely 180'd." the elder Uchiha told his friend, shaking his head in impressed dismay.

"Hn." Itachi agreed, looking rather bored with the little drama playing out in front of them. Shisui shot the heir a curious look. For all the protest he'd made over the length of the arrangement, he didn't seem to care now that the girls were actually here. Shaking his head, Shisui decided that it was just Itachi being Itachi and turned his attention back to Mikoto and the children.

"My, what pretty manners you have!" Mikoto cooed to Kikyou, giggling when the girl merely gave her a reserved smile in return. The feeling of Kaede boring holes into the back of her head prompted Kagome to bow as well, albeit not as gracefully as her sister.

"I'm happy to meet you too, Uchiha-san!" Kagome sang out, grinning widely at Mikoto and pointedly ignoring Sasuke. "I like your kimono. It's really pretty!" Mikoto couldn't stop the delighted laugh that left her at that compliment as Kaede shook her head and muttered something under her breath that no one else caught.

_These two are adorable._ Mikoto decided as she crouched down so that she was eye level with the twins, smiling warmly at both of them.

"Why thank you, Kagome-chan." Mikoto laughed. "You two look quite pretty yourselves."

Sasuke rolled his eyes as the twins beamed at his mother. _Girls…_

Tearing her eyes off of the girls, Mikoto took in her son's annoyance with a worried frown, before sighing in a defeated sort of way, standing up to lead her son a ways off so that she could talk to him in private. Maybe it was a mistake, not to explain things to Sasuke in advance. She was worried the news would influence him negatively, but…

"Sasuke?" the clan matriarch started in a gentle, but firm voice. "Do you remember what your father and I talked with you about, a few weeks back? About how important you are, to us and the Uchiha clan? And how we need you to be strong for us?" Sasuke frowned suspiciously and nodded as he thought back to the conversation in question, not liking the direction this conversation was headed in. "Sasuke lately our clan has been having some… problems." She began delicately. "Our standing in Konoha hasn't been good, and there has been trouble because of it. That's why we need your help." Licking her lips, Mikoto shot a hesitant glance towards the twins, and Sasuke followed her gaze, his frown deepening. "I know they don't seem like much to you, Sasuke, but those girls… The Higurashi clan is capable of using a power that even ninjas like us can't produce. Power that lets them see spirits, speak with gods… it can even destroy demons." _That_ caught Sasuke attention.

"They can kill _demons_? Really?" Sasuke asked, his eyes wide as saucers as his mother nodded. Though they were rarely encountered, demons were insanely powerful, and very few ninjas could compete with them, even in their clan. They even gave Itachi trouble, and he was the best.

"That's right, Sasuke. That's why the Council of Konoha is willing to stop harassing the clan, if we can bring even just a little bit of that power here where they can use it." Mikoto explained. "Understand?"

"Yeah, I guess…" Sasuke said reluctantly. He had to admit, the power to kill demons did sound kinda cool. "But what does that have to do with me?"

"Everything." Mikoto replied. "Sasuke, the current patriarch of the Higurashi clan is giving us these girls to train as we see fit. And someday, years from now, you will be asked to choose one to be your wife."

…What?

Sasuke stared at his mother in dismay. His wife? He had to marry one of those weird girls? _That_ was supposed to be his contribution to the Uchiha clan? Privately, Sasuke couldn't help but feel he was getting jipped. How come Itachi got to be the cool, brilliant super ninja, but he had to get married to some annoying girl? Where was the justice in that?

"Sasuke? Do you understand?" Mikoto asked again, a pleading tone entering her voice as she watched her youngest son carefully.

"…Yes, Okaa-sama." Sasuke said quietly. He might not like it, but he did understand, and he would do as his parents asked of him. Relieved, Mikoto smiled and gave Sasuke's shoulder a grateful squeeze.

"I'm glad." She admitted softly, taking her son by the hand. "Now try to get along with Kagome-chan and Kikyou-chan, okay? You might find that you actually like them, once you get to know them a little better." Sasuke said nothing out loud, but couldn't help but roll his eyes in the face of his mother's optimism.

_Yeah, right._

* * *

><p>"So what's this power you guys are supposed to have, anyways?" Itachi sighed quietly to himself when that was the first question his brother asked to break the awkward silence that had fallen over the three children after their mother had taken Kaede to speak with Fugaku with the hope that the children would get along better without any adults present. He still didn't like the idea of Sasuke marrying one of the girls, but there wasn't much he could do about it at this point since all the other alternatives were… <em>unpleasant<em>, to say the least.

"Cool power?" Kagome repeated, shooting Sasuke a curious look. "You mean reiki?"

"Reiki?" Sasuke frowned, the word foreign on his tongue.

"Spirit Energy." Kikyou explained in her quiet, confident voice. "Holy powers. Reiki is present in everyone who possesses a soul, but not many people have the means to access it, and few who can have the ability to use it the way the Higurashi clan does."

"So, it's like chakra, then?" Sasuke clarified with a frown.

"No. Chakra has a physical element to it. It's capable of growth, and it can be used up if you don't have enough. Reiki is tapped directly from the soul, so it's stagnant since birth, and so long as you're alive, you can use it as much as you please without negative results." Kikyou explained.

_So, that's the secret to their power…_ Itachi mused from where he was pretending not to eavesdrop on the children.

"Not many people have enough spiritual strength to give their reiki a real oomph, though." Kagome added. "That's why holy powers are so rare. It's kinda boring to learn about, though. It's all meditation and focus and purifying your mind and body all the time…"

"_Kagome._" Kikyou said, irritation slipping into her tone at her sister's complaints. "You know how important powers like ours are to people. Mikos are supposed to be guardians and healers, which requires patience and sacrifice. We're supposed to protect the weak."

"Ninjas do that too, you know." Sasuke reminded the girl, unimpressed with her speech.

"Ninjas are killers, tools for those they serve." Kikyou corrected the boy, bristling at his insinuation that her path was anything like the one he and his family had chosen. Privately, Itachi had to agree that the girl had a point, but Sasuke clearly didn't see it that way if the scowl he was throwing her was any indication.

"Mikos kill too!" Sasuke protested, glaring at the girl. "Or do demons not count?"

"Uh, guys…?" Kagome tried to interrupt, sensing that the situation was getting our of hand as she looked between her sister and their fiancée. Both ignored her in favor of trying to glare one another down.

"Of course demons don't count. They're evil spirits, feeding off of the misery and destruction of humanity and causing chaos wherever they go!" Kikyou huffed, returning Sasuke's glare with a cold look of her own.

"And you think that the bad guys ninjas kill aren't like that?" Sasuke returned sourly.

"A human life is sacred. It should never be taken, if one can help it." Kikyou responded primly.

"Kikyou…!" Kagome tried again, only to be cut off by Sasuke.

"Yeah, right." Sasuke snorted. "You're just a snob and a hypocrite! No wonder your village gave you to us! I bet they were happy to get rid of you." Sasuke seemed to have struck a nerve there, if the look on Kikyou's face was anything to go by, but Itachi couldn't help but feel that his brother had crossed a line.

Yes, he wasn't happy with Sasuke's situation, but he knew that Kikyou and Kagome were in the same situation themselves, and that it was just as unfair for them. Maybe even more so, since they had to give up everything they knew and loved to come to Konoha and make a new life. Frowning, Itachi started to make his way to the three, intent on lecturing his brother for his words, but before he could take more than a step, Kagome had rounded on the boy with all the ferocity of a fire breathing dragon.

"Now wait just a minute! You can't talk to my sister like that!" Kagome snarled as she jumped between the two bickering five year olds, to further shield Kikyou from Sasuke's abuse. Sasuke looked surprised at the girl's interference for a moment, before his Uchiha pride kicked in and her glared right back at Kagome.

"Why not? You both know that it's true." Sasuke pointed out snidely.

Next thing the five year old knew, he was flailing around in a shallow bend of the river, coughing up water and openly gaping at the livid blue eyed girl that had shoved him in. All around them, members of the Uchiha clan had gone still, staring at the children in shock and trying to process what had just happened.

"Creep!" Kagome huffed before turning on her heels, grabbing her twin by the wrist and hauling her away. As he watched the girls take their leave, Itachi couldn't stop his amusement from showing on his face. He hadn't been expecting that sort of reaction from a girl belonging to a clan that preached non-violence and patience, after all, and judging from Sasuke's expression when the girl hit him, he didn't either.

_Perhaps it will be interesting to see how this play out after all…_ Itachi mused as his now thoroughly embarrassed younger brother pulled himself back onto dry land.

* * *

><p>"It's no fair! He started it!"<p>

Kikyou giggled quietly as her twin fell face first onto their new bed with a quiet moan of dismay.

"You know how Obaa-sama feels when you lose your temper like that, Kagome." She reminded her twin, patting the girl sympathetically when Kagome grumbled in response.

"I didn't even hit him that hard! He's supposed to be a ninja, right? He should be able to take it!" the young miko whined pitifully. "Now I have to practice making a hundred omamori and work on my archery AND study up on the spells she's gonna test me on!"

"It's alright, Kagome. I'll help you." Kikyou assured her sister. It was the least she could do, since it was sort of her fault Kagome got in trouble in the first place. If she hadn't snapped at the Uchiha boy, then Kagome wouldn't have gotten involved.

"Really?" Kagome breathed, looking up at her twin with pure reverence. Working with Reiki was always sort of hard for Kagome, but it came naturally to Kikyou, so the younger twin valued any input her sister may give her. Grinning at her sister's smile, Kagome lunged to wrap her arms around Kikyou's waist. "You're the best, Kikyou! I'd never survive Miko training without you!"

"And don't you forget it." Kikyou giggled in response as she returned the hug the best she could. "Now get some rest. It's been a long day, and we've got a lot to do tomorrow…"

"'Kay…" Kagome yawned as she fell back into bed, studying her twin as Kikyou settled down next to her. Frowning, Kagome piped up. "He's kinda a jerk, isn't he?" Kikyou froze for a moment, knowing instantly who Kagome was talking about.

"More than just 'kinda,' Kagome." The elder twin sighed at last before giving her sister a pointed look. "But don't worry about him. We'll deal with that later. For now, just try to sleep." Kagome muttered something unintelligible in response, her eyes heavy under the chaos that day had brought them. Smiling, Kikyou watched Kagome carefully as her eyes slid shut and her breathing even out, amused at how quickly her sister could fall asleep, no matter the circumstances. She, on the other hand, was a restless sleeper, who could sometimes stay up for hours trying to get comfortable, and slept fitfully in strange places.

_Sleeping so soundly in a village of killers…_ Kikyou marveled silently. _You really are too trusting, aren't you Kagome?_ Sighing heavily, Kikyou turned away from her twin to study the moon hanging low outside their window, a frown marring her young face as she thought back to what had occurred earlier that day.

_Uchiha Sasuke…_

Sighing, Kikyou let her head fall back into her pillow. She had to admit, she didn't really like the first impression she got of the boy. Arrogant, judgmental, stubborn, prideful and ignorant to the problems of anyone other than himself. It was no wonder why someone like him would rub mikos like Kagome and herself the wrong way, his aura was probably already tainted. For all she couldn't stand the boy though, she had already resigned herself to a life as his wife. Anything to keep Kagome away from such a horrible boy.

Turning to her side, Kikyou's eyes softened as she studied her sleeping twin, reaching out to clasp the hand of the girl beside her. She smiled sadly when Kagome squeezed back without even waking up. So trusting… and so ill-suited for the world of shinobi.

"Sorry, Kagome." Kikyou apologized softly. "I know I got you into trouble today, but from now on, I'll protect you no matter what. I promise…"


	2. One Step Forward

_**justXaXrose-**__ Welcome back! 'bows deeply' I'd like to thank everyone who was so supportive of my work in the first chapter. I was afraid that people wouldn't like the idea behind this story, but your words of encouragement really inspired me and were part of the reason that I was able to get this chapter out so quickly, so thank you all very much! I hope that you all will continue to give me feedback as the story progresses._

_Before the story starts though, I feel there is something I should address; despite the fact that this story is supposed to center around Kagome, Sasuke and Kikyou, the vast majority of my reviewers seemed more interested in the role Itachi would play. Apparently, a lot of my readers felt that the first chapter seemed to lean more towards romance between Itachi and Kagome (though one did make mention of Ita/Kik instead) which I find both amusing and perplexing at the same time. Keep in mind though, people, that Itachi's an early teen in this story, and Kagome and Kikyou are both little kids. He's interested in them yes, but only because he wants to keep an eye out and make sure they won't be a threat to Sasuke, or anyone else in his family. He's paranoid that way. Comes with the territory when your career involves people throwing sharp, pointy object at you on a regular basis._

_Still, I don't mind appeasing you guys and adding a little more Itachi to the story, to spice things up. With that said, please enjoy this chapter!_

* * *

><p><strong>~',* One Step Forward *,'~<strong>

Kagome was trying to ignore the fact that more than a dozen pair of eyes were watching her intently, really she was.

"Concentrate, Kagome. Think of those ye are willing to die to protect, and think of the target as a threat to those people. Reach for the love deep in ye heart, and channel it into the tip of ye arrow." Obediently, Kagome did as her grandmother asked, visions of Kikyou, Souta and Kaede herself strong in the girl's young heart.

Almost instantly, the air started to hum with Kagome's latent spiritual power. Distantly, she heard the watching Uchihas muttering low amongst themselves, and the windstorm in her stomach kicked up again making the hands gripping her weapons tremble noticeably. While Kagome loved having a lot of friends and family around her to play with and talk to, she _hated_ being the center of attention of people she hardly knew like this. It always made her feel so nervous and self-conscious.

"Release." Kaede ordered her granddaughter. Kagome obeyed, and the arrow flew, a vivid, fiery aura of pink surrounding it, charging the air with her powers and purifying the taint of negative feelings lingering in the Uchiha's private training field. The sheer power of Kagome's reiki made the Uchihas fall silent, shock visible on their usually stoic faces. Kaede couldn't help but feel a little smug about that, even as her granddaughter's arrow fell a foot or so short of the target. She knew the powers possessed by both of her granddaughters was special, unusually powerful even by the standards of their revered clan, and though she couldn't object to her nephew's little engagement ploy directly, she could, at the very least, train her girls thoroughly, so that they could use those awesome powers against these ninjas, should the need arise.

Kaede was old, but she was far from a fool, and she refused to stand by and let her grandchildren's strength be abused by ninjas.

"Very good Kagome." Kaede praised. "Ye power is strong and true, even if ye aim is still lacking."

"Sorry, Obaa-sama." Kagome answered, a blush darkening her cheeks as she bowed to her grandmother. "I'll do better next time." Nodding as the girl quickly scurried over to her sister, Kaede turned her attention to the elder twin with a slight reluctance, never quite sure how the girl would treat her at any given moment.

"Kikyou. Ye are next." Nodding silently, Kikyou stepped forward, smiling silently in response to the encouraging grin her sister shot her as she approached.

"Good luck, Kikyou!" Kagome chimed once she was within distance. Shooting a wary glance at the watchful ninjas, Kagome leaned in add a low whisper to her well wishes. "Watch out for the ninjas, ne? I think they might be part vulture or something…" Kikyou couldn't help laughing at that, especially with the serious look on her sister's face as she said it.

"I'll keep that in mind." Kikyou grinned playfully at her twin, who shot her a wicked grin in response before settling herself down to watch her sister's training.

Making her way over to her grandmother, Kikyou's lingering smile fell away as her usual expression of calm detachment took its place. Bowing to the elderly miko in mock respect, Kikyou straightened, allowing her power to cloak her without her grandmother saying a word. Bringing her bow up, Kikyou took aim at the target with a steely glint in her young eyes, letting the arrow fly without any prompting. Just like with her sister, Kikyou's arrow flared with power, though not quite as excessive or wild as the one that surrounded the younger twin's arrow. Whatever lack it had in strength it made up for with purpose though, as the hamaya struck true with a near perfect bull's eye. Kikyou allowed herself a smug, triumphant look at the clearly impressed ninjas, before she turned back to her grandmother with a respectful bow.

"Will that suffice, Obaa-sama?" the girl asked, just a hint of mocking in her tone. Kaede caught it, if her frown was any indication, but let it slide as she always did these days.

_She's still hurting. That is the reason she lashes out. I am merely a convenient target._ Kaede reminded herself to try and soothe the hurt that her elder granddaughter's recent bout of anger always left on her heart. It wasn't like Kaede couldn't understand, after all, so she said nothing in the face of Kikyou's blatant disrespect.

"Yes, Kikyou. Excellent job, as usual." Kaede nodded in approval. If Kaede's words affected her granddaughter in any way, she didn't let it show as she made her way back to where her sister sat pouting.

"Show off." Kagome sulked once Kikyou joined her, before grinning to take the sting out of the accusation. "You're a real natural at all this miko stuff, aren't you? I wish I was half as good as you."

"You're doing fine, Kagome. You just need to take your head out of the clouds a little more." Kikyou playfully flicked her twin's noise, giggling as it scrunched up grumpily in response to the abuse. "You shouldn't let _them_ bother you, either." Unbidden, Kagome followed her sister's darkened gaze to the ninjas that were still watching them like hawks.

"You'd think they didn't have anything better to do then watch us train." Kagome complained quietly to her sister, who hummed in annoyed agreement. "I mean, I can kinda get the first few days, but we've been here a month already! Do they really have to show up every time we practice using reiki?"

"They're trying to gauge the strength of their newest tools, most likely." Kikyou confided coolly, earning a startled look from Kagome.

"Tools? You mean us?" She asked in alarm. The thought clearly hadn't occurred to her, since she was never one to treat people so callously. "But I thought this whole engagement thing was just 'cause Onigumo-oji-san wanted to make nice with Konoha? I mean, the only thing that is supposed to happen is that one of us is gonna marry _Baka_suke, right?" Though her irritation was still clear on her face, Kikyou couldn't help but smile at her sister's 'affectionate' nickname for their fiancée. Despite the best attempts of Mikoto, Uchiha Sasuke was still a grade-A creep in the eyes of both sisters. Kikyou could be civil with him, if she tried, but Kagome had trouble with even that much, which was why interactions between the younger twin and the Uchiha usually ended in violence.

"Don't let it bother you, Kagome. I'll take care of it." Kikyou responded, earning a suspicious look from Kagome. She'd been hearing those words a lot lately, and she liked them less every time she heard them. Before she could say anything though, Kaede called her over, and the questions Kagome had for her twin went unasked as the girl made her way over to her grandmother to continue her training.

It didn't stop her from worrying, though.

* * *

><p>This was much easier then he thought it would be.<p>

Grinning wolfishly in triumph, the Rock-nin watched the girl in front of him intently as she plucked another plant out of the ground. Every once in a while, her eyes would sweep around her uneasily, clearly sensing that something was amiss in the forest yet unable to pinpoint where the feeling was coming from. It was sort of impressive coming from a five year old, though it was probably just part of her clan's inherit spiritual awareness. With that thought in mind, the shinobi quickly did a genjutsu on himself, turning into an unassuming Konoha nin.

He didn't notice when this action brought the little girl's sharp eyes to his hiding spot.

Coming out from behind the tree he was using for cover, the rock-nin gave the young girl a disarming smile, which she met with a confused and wary look as she hastily got to her feet. There was something dark about the man in front of her, at odds with the smile he was giving her, and Kagome didn't like it. Every instinct that the five year old possessed screamed at her to pay close attention to the older man, though Kagome couldn't figure out why.

"Maa, maa~! What's a cute young girl like you doing this far out in the woods? You could get lost, you know." That wasn't likely, but there was no need for the old man to know that.

"Sorry, sir. I was just getting some herbs Obaa-sama needs." Kagome said quietly, motioning to the basket she was carrying. "I know the way back on my own, though, so you don't have to worry about me."

"Oh?" the shinobi leaned down so that he was eye level with the girl, pretending not to notice when she took a few steps back. While he sucked hard at taijutsu, he had enough confidence in his skills as a ninja to know that a five year old wasn't going to get the best of him, if it came down to that, and his partners were nearby. He just needed to get her guard down enough that she didn't scream before he attacked, lest she draw attention to them. "Say, aren't you that little girl who's been hanging around that Uchiha boy lately? I thought I recognized your face from somewhere!" Kagome's eyebrows drew together at that strange remark, and she took another cautious step back.

_When could this man have seen me with Bakasuke?_ She wondered with a frown. The only times she was ever around Sasuke was during their weekly dinner at the Uchiha compound, and since this man clearly wasn't an Uchiha he couldn't have been there. Plus, wasn't it weird that he didn't say anything about Kikyou? She and her twin went everywhere together in public. Indeed, the only reason she wasn't here now was because Obaa-sama was hoping to talk to her alone for a little bit.

The strange feeling of wrongness was rising with every passing moment, and the voice whispering urgently in her ear about foreign ninjas and genjutsus and urging her to run and hide, weren't helping matters at all.

"Come on now, what's wrong?" The rock nin laughed lightly. "Here, how about I-!"

"Leave." Kagome and the ninja both jumped at the new voice, turning in surprise to find a young, yet strangely intimidating boy in a cat mask perched high in a tree. Kagome hadn't felt the appearance of the masked boy at all, and apparently he'd even managed to elude her new friend, which was no small feat.

"What-?" The rock nin started, only to freeze when the teen suddenly appeared behind him, kunai pressed to his throat.

"How about you leave. That is what you were going to say to this child, right?" the teen asked, his voice soft and dangerous. _Shit_. He hadn't been expecting a run in with Konoha's Anbu. Gritting his teeth, the Rock nin grabbed a kunai of his own, whirling around to attack the boy behind him.

Red eyes met his own, and the ninja knew no more.

Kagome's eyes were as wide as saucers as she watched the strange man she was talking to fall down without warning, his appearance changing before he hit the forest floor with a dull thud. Behind her, her friend was silent, clearly as surprised as she was. Slowly, the young miko's eyes traveled from the fallen ninja to the masked one, who had turned to face her after the threat the strange ninja presented was neutralized.

"W-what…?"

"You shouldn't wander on your own." The ninja scolded, though not unkindly. "Our world has more dangers then you know, Kagome-chan. Dangers you're not prepared to face, even with your reiki."

"You know who I am?" Kagome blurted out, baffled. She'd wanted to ask why the other ninja would be after he in the first place, and find out about the weird spell he'd done to change his appearance like that, but hearing her name fall from the masked ninja's lips had immediately wiped those questions from her head.

"Aa." The ninja replied, amused despite himself. Still he kept a sharp eye on the forest surrounding them. After all, it was unlikely this ninja had come alone, and if his teammates showed up, he had no idea how the young miko would act if he had to engage them. Kagome drew up short at his response, recognition flickering in her eyes.

"Itachi-san?" She said, studying the boy more closely and resisting the urge to kick herself for her stupidity. She couldn't believe she didn't recognize her fiancée's brother right off the bat, even with that weird mask he was wearing now. Other than Mikoto, Itachi was one of the nicest Uchihas she'd met in her time in Konoha. He was quiet, but patient, and much more polite to her and Kikyou then his bratty little brother. Still a little confused, Kagome glanced down at the fallen ninja again, frowning to herself. "Itachi-san, what-?"

"Kagome-chan, I need you to listen to me." Itachi cut her off sharply. Growing up with Kikyou made the hint of urgency in Itachi's voice easy to catch, so Kagome quickly obeyed, pushing her confusion aside for the moment. "More men like this one will attack soon. When they do, I need you to stay close, stay quiet and obey any orders I give you. Understand?" Eyes wide, Kagome nodded, and Itachi relaxed minutely. From what he'd seen, the girl was usually fairly good at obeying orders, so hopefully he won't have to worry about her as much as he originally feared.

"Itachi-san, should I-?"

"Hush." Itachi ordered, eyes narrowing as the other shinobi drew in closer, clearly aiming to attack. Kagome immediately complied, letting Itachi focus on the enemy at hand.

That's when they struck.

Faster than the eye could see, Itachi vanished, and the ninja that had just tried to strike him down was left off-balance and exposed. Half a heartbeat later, the man howled as Itachi's katana made a deep, clean slice in the muscles behind his knees, crumpling down to clutch his injuries as white hot pain seared across his vision. Cursing vividly, the third Rock nin fell back, realizing belatedly how much his team had underestimated the boy.

Deciding to cut his losses, the shinobi turned and abandoned his fallen comrades, focusing instead on the girl that was the object of the mission. Right now, the best option was to grab her and run. He doubted that the Anbu brat would risk harming her in an attack, considering his little speech earlier, so if nothing else she'd at least make a good hostage. Logically, grabbing the young miko was the smartest move he could make.

Unfortunately, Ninja logic couldn't have accounted for Kagome's overprotective friend.

Itachi glared coldly at the retreating nin, easily figuring out what he was planning. Bringing his hands up to form a seal, the young Anbu prepared to use a substitution jutsu to save the young girl, only to find that it wasn't necessary.

The air around the miko-in-training seemed to shift and take form before Itachi could make his move, which stopped the Uchiha short. Before he could do much more then stare in confusion, though, the strange, invisible entity struck the rock-nin, sending him, flying. Winded, the shinobi rolled around for a moment, trying to regain his barings as Itachi tried to figure out what it was that he'd just seen. The form had already disappeared, though, leaving only the young miko-child to meet his curious gaze.

_She doesn't look surprised._ Itachi noted, narrowing his eyes. _Did she do that, then?_ Kaede hadn't given them any indication that the girls could do much more then fire arrows at this point, claiming that they were still being taught their clan's techniques. What those techniques were, Kaede hadn't been forthcoming about, to the surprise of no one in his family. She hadn't exactly been making a secret of that fact that she didn't like the Higurashi clan leader's decision to marry one of the young girls into a ninja clan, after all.

Before he could question the girl, though, Kagome's eyes had widened, focused on the enemy nin who was now getting back up on his feet with an enraged look on his face. Tensing, Itachi called himself seven different kinds of fool for forgetting about the rock nin even for a second.

"You little-!" The shinobi started on Kagome. He didn't get any farther than that though, before Itachi was upon him with a sharp blow to the back of the head, knocking the ninja out cold. Sighing quietly, Itachi studied the three fallen ninja's before him, two unconscious and the third too injured to move on his own, and couldn't help but frown darkly to himself. He knew that the interest in the Higurashi clan's power wasn't exclusive to Konoha, but he hadn't realized that other villages would start attacking for that power so soon.

The Hokage wasn't going to like this. His father would probably like it even less. Itachi almost wasn't sure which of the two he most didn't want to tell.

Almost.

* * *

><p>"Am I gonna get into trouble?" Startled, Itachi looked down to raise an eyebrow at the young girl next to him, who was eyeing the Hokage Tower as if it were her execution chamber.<p>

"No." Itachi said, putting the girl's fears to rest. "I simply need to file a report about the attack, and then take you to the hospital to be checked over. Why on earth would you be in trouble?"

"Checked over?" Kagome repeated. "But I didn't get hurt. Why would I need to be checked over?"

"Standard procedure." Itachi replied airily. "Now stop avoiding my question."

"I wasn't avoiding the question!" Kagome huffed, though her cheeks reddened enough to belie her words. "I just… If Obaa-sama finds out I was playing with Mononoke again, she'll get mad at me. And with everything going on with Kikyou and your brother-!"

"Mononoke?" Itachi repeated, alarmed. "You were playing with a mononoke?"

"Yeah, but since I'm a miko it's okay!" Kagome assured Itachi hastily. "It wasn't a mean or anything, or even gloomy the way Shinigami are. It was just lonely and wanted a friend."

"Just because it doesn't act dangerous doesn't mean that it's safe." Itachi scolded her sternly. Kagome almost rolled her eyes at his tone.

"You sound like Kikyou." She said dryly instead. It was true enough, since she'd heard similar words time and again from her older twin. "I know they can hurt others, but they can't hurt _me_, and if I play with them for a little bit, they're not as lonely anymore and don't go after other people! Besides, it saved me from that ninja, doesn't that count for anything?" She had a point there, actually. Sighing, Itachi reluctantly let the matter drop, mostly because he didn't know much about the spirit world, and probably less about Kagome.

He'd been watching both twins carefully since picking them up from Midori, for good reason. After all, one of them would eventually become Sasuke's wife, and he wanted to make sure that he knew both of their personalities well before that happened. Kikyou was easy enough for him to figure out, mostly because she reminded him a lot of himself at that age; brilliant and hardworking, but almost completely incapable of interacting with others.

She could put on a mask of manners and grace when it was necessary, but it was clear that it was just that; a mask to cover up her true feelings until she could address them on her own. Even with that though, it wasn't hard to see the grudge that the girl had for the Uchiha clan in general, Sasuke specifically and her family overall, with exceptions present in her twin and an infant brother Kagome often gushed to Mikoto about. That concerned Itachi quite a bit, since he wasn't sure if Kikyou's bitterness might poison Sasuke's future, if she was brought into the family.

Kagome, on the other hand, was much harder to figure out, despite appearing to be the simpler twin at first glance. She was almost amusingly easy to please, but had a temper that was dangerous when provoked, as her constant fights with Sasuke proved time and again. And though she lacked Kikyou's eloquence and patience, the younger twin wasn't stupid by any means. She was, however, reckless and impossible for him to predict, even after a month of carefully watching her.

In other words, Itachi still couldn't be sure which twin would be more dangerous, or best suited to be Sasuke's wife.

"Itachi-san?" Kagome asked, looking concerned, pulling the Uchiha from his thoughts. Looking back down at the girl, Itachi realized that he'd been lost in his thoughts for a while now. Long enough to worry the young miko, apparently. "Itachi-san, _you_ weren't hurt in that fight back there, were you?" Were he a more egotistical shinobi, that question probably would have offended Itachi, rather than making him chuckle the way he did.

"I'm fine." Itachi answered, leading the girl into the tower. "I try to avoid being injured on the job, lest the _vultures_ start circling around with false sympathy to try and appeal themselves to me." It took a minute for Itachi's words to connect in the five year old's brain, but when they did the horrified blush that turned her face a rather peculiar shade of maroon was well worth the wait.

"That… I… You weren't… How'd you…!" The young miko sputtered, too embarrassed to even finish her sentences. He'd _heard_ that? Suddenly, the fear of being punished pushed its way back to the forefront of the miko's mind. She hadn't meant to insult the Uchiha clan with her comment, she just wanted to make Kikyou smile, since her twin had been so gloomy lately!

…Okay, maybe she _was_ a little irritated that they kept disrupting her focus during practice, but still!

"Don't worry, Kagome-chan. I won't tell." Itachi promised, his lips twitching under the suppressed urge to laugh at the girl's blind panic. "To tell you the truth, I don't like them doing things like that either. They should concentrate more on their own abilities, rather than relying on others to uphold our clan's honor." Slack-jawed, Kagome stared at the shinobi next to her in shock for a moment, before grinning widely at the older boy's confession.

It was official; Itachi was her favorite Uchiha.

The rest of the walk to the Hokage's office was done in companionable silence (Or as silent as a curious five year old girl could be, at any rate) with more than one person raising an eyebrow at the unlikely young pair as they passed by. Anbus were rarely seen so openly, after all, and never in the company of bright eyed little girls. No one confronted them though, until they met with an aid outside of Sarutobi's office.

"I need to speak to the Hokage as soon as possible about a security breach in the North-Northwestern sector of the village." Itachi announced before the woman could even open her mouth. Startled, the aid nodded, her eyebrows knitting together in concern.

"Of course, right away, Anbu-san." She said, before her eyes trailed down to the wide eyed girl next to him. "Your little friend here is going to have to wait out here for a moment, though." Itachi nodded. That was to be expected, after all, for the safety of the village. Kagome may have only been five years old, but she was still relatively new to the village, and a civilian at that. It wouldn't do to discuss delicate information about Konoha in front of the girl.

"Wait out here until you're needed, Kagome-chan." Itachi ordered the young girl dispassionately as the aid scurried off to announce him to the village leader. Nodding, the young miko fell back a few steps with a warm smile.

"Don't worry, Itachi-san, I'll be good!" Kagome promised. Satisfied with the girl's response, the young Anbu made his way into the Hokage's office, already preparing himself for what would no doubt be a tiresome conversation.

* * *

><p>Thunk. Thunk. Thunk. Thunk.<p>

Kagome sighed heavily as boredom plagued her young mind, methodically kicking her legs back and forward and letting her heels hit the wall behind her. She'd been sitting on the bench outside of the Hokage's office for nearly an hour now, and it was starting to drive her mad. Twenty minutes into the meeting, they had called her in to answer a few questions about the guy who attacked her (which was sort of pointless, since she probably knew less than Itachi did about him) and then asked her to wait outside again. At least the old man, who was introduced to her as the Hokage, was sort of nice about the whole thing, which soothed any lingering fears Kagome had about getting into trouble. He kinda reminded her of her grandfather back in Midori, only the Hokage was less crazy and demon-obsessed.

The five year old couldn't help but giggle at that thought as memories of her grandfather rambling on about demon lore and fighting off stray animals with useless bits of paper wafted through her mind, followed quickly by a sudden bout of home-sickness.

_I wonder if Ojii-sama's taking good care of Souta?_ Kagome mused as she studied th ceiling outside of the Hokage's office. _And do Eri-chan, Yuka-chan and Ayumi-chan miss me?_ A sad smile made its way to her face as she thought about her friends, children of some of Midori's humble farmers and an excitable bunch of girls if there ever was one. They had been very tearful when Kagome left, vowing to write every single day and saving up their pocket money to come and visit Kagome as soon as they could. They could be kinda loud, and jumped to conclusions a lot, but the girls were still lots of fun to be around and Kagome missed them terribly. Especially since, despite her best hopes, Konoha hadn't had much to offer her in the way of human friends.

Of course, that could probably change if she ever got the chance to leave the small apartment they'd given her and her sister on the Uchiha compound long enough to actually meet someone else…

Before Kagome could muse any longer about her friends, or current lack-thereof, a foreign chill made it's way down her spine, urging the girl to pay closer attention to her surroundings. Tearing her eyes from the ceiling, Kagome cast confused blue eyes to and fro, trying to pinpoint the cause of her sudden unease.

"So, you are one of the Higurashi girls, are you?" Despite herself, Kagome jumped visibly at the sudden voice, turning to glance over her shoulder where it had originated from.

Standing in the middle of the hallway aided by a solid wooden cane was an elderly man with half of his face hidden under layers of gauze and a crossed shaped scar on his chin. His one visible eye was watching Kagome with cool, unreadable regard, piercing and unwavering in its scrutiny. There was nothing about the man that was physically intimidating, or even all that scary, but the young priestess shrank under his stare all the same.

Looking into that eyes Kagome knew, without a shadow of a doubt, that he was the source of her discomfort.

"Well?" The man asked, stepping closer to the young miko. "Are you one of the young priestesses from the Higurashi clan, or aren't you?"

"Y-yes, sir." Kagome answered weakly, silently wishing she could run away. "I'm Higurashi Kagome, the second born daughter of Higurashi Aiko and his wife Nodoka."

"Higurashi Aiko was the hero who defeated the evil dragon demon in Waterfall, correct?" the man asked as he continued to study the girl. Wary, Kagome nodded.

She didn't have many memories of her father, since she was only three when he died, but others in Midori had admired and respected him as a holy man and the leader of the Higurashi clan. His death came about when he was helping a friend of his seal away a dragon demon by the name of Ryukotsusei. Apparently, the injuries the two had sustained were great, and both died not long after the wicked demon was trapped. Kikyou praised their father for his actions, insisting that it was true to the way of the Higurashi clan, but Kagome… as much as she wanted to be proud of her father she was much more upset that he'd died, without ever letting her and Kikyou really know him. Not to mention the fact that there was never any reason given for why he had been fighting the demon in the first place, other than the dubious 'helping a friend' thing.

"And you possess similar power to that of your father?" the old man asked, drawing Kagome out of her thoughts.

"I wouldn't know, sir." Kagome replied, shifting uncomfortably. "Papa… he died when I was still very young, and he wasn't home very often, unless the clan called for him."

"And your sister?" The man persisted, ignoring Kagome's explanation.

"Kikyou?" Kagome clarified, eyebrows drawing together in confusion before she answered. "Kikyou is one of the best mikos to ever come from our clan. She's really good at archery, and picks up everything Obaa-sama shows us almost right away." The old man seemed to consider this information for a moment before he returned to studying the young girl before him. Just when Kagome was about to snap at him to take a picture and be done with it already, the doors to the Hokage's office opened, admitting Sarutobi and Itachi into the hallway.

"Ah, Danzo!" Sarutobi said, smiling calmly at the bandaged man with Kagome. "I see you've met Kagome-chan. You're here to learn more of the rock nins who tried to attack her, I take it?"

"Of course, Hiruzen." The old man he was addressing responded stiffly, turning his attention away from Kagome (who breathed a sigh of relief at that) to focus on the two in front of him. "An attack by foreign shinobi on Konoha's soil should be dealt with swiftly, after all. I felt that it was in the village's best interest that I see to the safety of our people."

"Of course." Sarutobi agreed amiably. "We'll discuss that in my office, then. Itachi-kun, I trust you can see to Kagome-chan?" Itachi, who had been watching Danzo with narrow, suspicious eyes ever since entering the hall, turned to the Hokage to bow to the man's gentle request.

"Yes, Hokage-sama." The Uchiha replied, stepping past the elder without so much as a second glance to stand at the young girl's side. "Kagome-chan, are you ready to go to the hospital now?" Part of Kagome still wanted to protest that she didn't need to see a doctor, but it was ruthlessly squashed by the part of her that wanted to get far, far away from the chilling old man as quickly as she could. Nodding silently to the older boy's question, Kagome jumped to her feet, quietly relieved when Itachi kept himself between her and Danzo as they left.

"Did he say anything to you?" Kagome started at Itachi's abrupt question once they were out of earshot of the elders, and stared blankly at the boy for a moment until it processed.

"Oh! Um, a little bit. He mostly just asked questions about my family." Kagome answered with an uneasy look over her shoulder at where she had left the old man. "I don't think I like him very much, though. He feels… tainted."

"Tainted?" Itachi repeated, an eyebrow kicking up at the girl's word of choice. Kagome didn't notice this as she nodded absently to the question in the boy's tone.

"Mikos can feel a person's soul. That's how we know if someone's really a demon, or possessed, or cursed or something. That Danzo man… His soul felt tainted. Like he doesn't care about right or wrong."

"Like he's willing to sacrifice anything to get what he wants, with no regards to ethics or morals." Itachi clarified, not at all surprised at that despite Danzo being a highly respected elder. After all, Danzo's voice had been the loudest accusing the Uchihas of having a hand in the Kyuubi's attack, and it had persisted up until the Uchihas were suddenly an asset to him again, bringing the Higurashi girls into the village so they could use the mysterious power of reiki for themselves. After that, Danzo acted as if he'd give Fugaku the moon on a platter if he could just get his greedy hands on the powerful young mikos.

"Exactly!" Kagome said, giving Itachi a triumphant look until she noticed how grim the older boy looked. "Itachi-san? Are you okay?"

"Fine." Itachi sighed, dismissing the girl's concern. He was hardly surprised that Danzo was already expressing interest in the young Higurashi girls, after all, but somehow he couldn't stop himself from being both disappointed and disgusted with the man, and his father as well.

They don't see any of the three as children, but rather tools that can be used to gain what they want. Itachi thought grimly, recalling Kikyou's words that day while she was training with her sister. The girl was far more cynical then her twin, but that didn't change the fact that she was absolutely right.

Even now, the Uchihas and Konoha's Council were already aching to test the edge of the coveted new blades they had acquired, and somehow he doubted that the kindly Hokage would be able to hold them all back for long.

* * *

><p>…Kikyou couldn't shake the weirdness of what she was seeing, even if she tried. She hardly showed it of course, other than her steady gaze and a slightly raised eyebrow, but internally the girl was absolutely dumbstruck at what was occurring.<p>

"-And then, Itachi-san used his katana to cut the back of the man's legs! The guy didn't even see it coming!"

"Of course not, Aniki is the best." Sasuke boasted with a smirk before leaning closer to the young miko, interest shining deep in his dark eyes. "Then what happened? I mean, the third guy was still there, right?"

"Yeah, he was still there, but he probably regretted it after what Itachi-san did to his friend." Kagome giggled lightly, making Sasuke grin in return. "When the other guy fell down, the one that was left started coming after _me_. I almost had a heart attack when he tried to grab me before-!" Kagome acted as if she was about to add something to that, only to catch Kikyou's eye and freeze for a moment after that, blushing slightly and stammering. "-B-before Itachi-san came up behind him an knocked him out. After that, Itachi-san tied all three of them up and called for one of his friends to take them away, and took me to see Hokage-sama."

"That's it?" Sasuke face fell for a moment before he sighed and amended. "Well, I guess since it's Aniki, no enemy shinobi could last very long." Rolling her eyes at the boy's hero worship of his brother, Kikyou gave up on trying to figure out what was going on between the two now.

Due to Kagome's brush with danger earlier that day, the Uchiha family insisted that the Higurashis join them for dinner that night, either as an apology or more likely to try and gauge the situation and see if it had affected anything in their plans. As usual with their weekly dinner in the Uchiha Compound, the adults had gone off to eat and talk in the main dining room and set up a table for the three youths outdoors, supposedly so that the three could talk without the adults there to make things awkward.

Privately, Kikyou suspected it was because they were sick of hearing Kagome and Sasuke bicker back and forward, as they always did sooner or later when they met. Usually sooner, but today they were actually getting along unusually well, which was sort of throwing Kikyou off a bit. Reluctantly ignoring the strangeness of Kagome and Sasuke having a civil conversation, even if it was about something as horrible as them gushing about Itachi rescuing Kagome from a kidnapping attempt, Kikyou turned her attention back to her younger sister with a concerned frown.

"You're sure you're alright, Kagome?" Kikyou asked her sister for the umpteenth time since Kagome was returned to her and their grandmother, who had been beside herself with guilt and worry. Somehow, Kikyou doubted that Kaede would be allowing either of them to so much as cross a street without an armed escort for a very, very long time. Not that Kikyou could blame her, since she was still torturing herself with thoughts of what could have happened if Itachi hadn't been there to save Kagome.

"I'm fine, Kikyou, honest!" Kagome replied, barely keeping the exasperation out of her voice. She, ironically, seemed to be the only was unaffected by how close she'd come to danger that day. Granted, most of the Uchihas were probably just concerned about losing such a valuable power to an enemy. Even Sasuke had expressed some concern over Kagome's well-being (Apparently, he hated her just enough to fight every time he laid eyes on her, but not enough to actually want her hurt or dead) before the two had gone off into their own little world, where Uchiha Itachi could do no wrong, something Kikyou most certainly did _not_ agree with.

"Still, I don't like that you were defenseless in a forest like that, Kagome." Kikyou said disapprovingly, before frowning thoughtfully to herself. "Maybe this will encourage Obaa-sama to begin teaching us more techniques then just hamaya and herbs."

"I don't think so…" Kagome said shaking her head. "Well, maybe for you, but I still don't have enough control over my hamaya for them to be effective." Kagome looked chagrined at this for a moment before her face brightened as an idea hit her. "But maybe we can find other ways to fight!"

"How?" Kikyou asked suspiciously, not liking the excited glint in her sister's eyes. It was the same look she always got before she did something that was guaranteed to give Kikyou a headache, like gathering every stray cat she could find into their small home in Midori ("But it's cold outside! Come on, Kikyou, ones one or two or ten cats? Have a heart!"), nearly getting herself killed saving a stubborn ghost child from the wrath of a Tatarimokke ("Mayu-chan wasn't _that_ bad! Besides I didn't end up in hell, so everything is okay!") or playing hide and go seek with a Shinigami ("Oh come on! Live a little, Kikyou!").

Times like that almost made Kikyou wonder why she cared so much for her more rambunctious twin, but Kikyou was patient, and willing to forgive almost all of her sister's insane ideas…

"Well, we could learn to be shinobi."

…Except that.

"Have you lost your MIND?" Kikyou sputtered, jumping to her feet to give her sister the most horrified look she could muster. "Absolutely not!"

"Come on, Kikyou, it's a great idea!" Kagome huffed, looking sullen at being shot down while Sasuke just looked surprised at how vocal Kikyou was being in her outburst. He'd never seen her look more then vaguely annoyed by anything in the time she'd been in Konoha. Not though, she looked torn between hitting her sister and having her institutionalized.

"You have lost your mind." Kikyou said, glowering at Kagome, who merely scrunched her nose at her sister in annoyance. "Kagome, that's a horrible idea. It goes against everything that we are taught of as mikos."

"I don't think so." Kagome argued. "Mikos live to protect and serve the innocent, right? Isn't that what Itachi-san did today for me?"

"That's not the same, Kagome." Kikyou said through gritted teeth. "The world of ninjas is dangerous and deadly. It's ill-suited for our powers."

"Mikos put themselves in a lot of danger too, Kikyou, or did you forget that Papa died fighting that dragon? Or how about Shinjiro-oji-san dying from that curse? Even Midoriko-sama died fighting an evil demon, and she was supposed to be the best of the best." Kagome pointed out calmly. Sasuke felt his eyebrow twitch in annoyance as he realized that that was virtually what he'd said to Kikyou on the day he'd met the twins.

"Fighting demons is not the same as what shinobi do, Kagome." Kikyou said before Sasuke could point this out to either twin, her stern tone leaving no room for argument. "They only _sometimes_ defend the weak and innocent. Other times, they're the ones hurting them, stealing, killing, deceiving, it's all part of their job. Or have you forgotten that the three who attacked you were ninjas as well?" Kagome opened her mouth to respond to that, only to falter when her sister's words hit home.

Oh. She hadn't thought of that…

Sasuke rolled his eyes at the look of realization on Kagome's face at Kikyou's obvious point, a bit disappointed that the fight had ended so quickly. He hadn't seen the Higurashi girls bicker with one another before, and it was sort of entertaining. Nevertheless, Sasuke knew when someone was beat, and thus added his own two ryou to the conversation.

"It's probably for the best anyways. No way could anyone as weak as you two hope to last as shinobi." He said snidely. Kikyou shot him an annoyed look at that before dismissing him, but the dwindling fire in Kagome's eyes flared back to life at the boy's words, causing her to round on him with a glare.

"Says who?" Kagome demanded sourly, crossing her arms. "I could so be a ninja if I wanted to! A better ninja then you, I bet!"

"Yeah right!" Sasuke's teasing smirk fell as he scowled at the girl for her slight. "Your aim sucks! You couldn't even hit water if you jumped in a lake!"

"That's what practice is for, Bakasuke! I'll get better in no time! But even when my aim is perfect, I'll bet you'll still be just as dumb as you are now!"

"Ha! I'm not the one who-!"

"What's all this yelling about?" Whatever Sasuke was about to say caught in the back of his throat as his blood turned to ice. Eyes wide, all three kids turned to meet the cold glare of Uchiha Fugaku.

_Crap._

"Fugaku-sama." Kagome squeaked out when Sasuke suddenly went mute at the sight of his father. While she got along well enough with Mikoto and Itachi, and fought constantly with Sasuke, Kagome could really say where she and her sister stood with the Uchiha patriarch, other then the fact that he made her very, very nervous. "Um, sorry Fugaku-sama. We didn't mean to be so loud. Right, Sasuke?"

"Right…" Sasuke muttered, shifting uncomfortably and not meeting his father's eyes, which he could feel drilling holes into him. He was gonna get yelled at tonight, he just knew it. Desperate to distract his father, Sasuke quickly added. "Kagome was just saying that she wanted to try and be a shinobi to learn how to defend herself, and I told her it was a bad idea." There. Fugaku looked a bit startled after hearing that, so now he was going to focus on the stupid miko and her stupid plan and he wouldn't get chewed out that bad.

"You want to be a kunoichi?" Fugaku said, focusing on the suddenly nervous blue eyed little girl. "Why?" Kagome's gulp was almost audible to the other two children at the table.

To be honest, she hadn't really thought past her desire to learn and protect herself, to do the same cool things that Itachi did when they were in the forest. But Kagome wasn't stupid, and she knew that if she said that, the Uchiha would just claim she wouldn't take the training seriously for such a flighty reason, which wasn't true at all. Kagome was very much a free-spirit and the sort who took things up on a whim if they looked interesting enough to hold more than a passing fancy, but she was stubborn too, and didn't quit at anything she tried until she knew she had it down pat.

"I… I want to be strong, Fugaku-sama. So that what happened in the forest today won't happen again. If learning to be a shinobi will help me do that, then I will." The young miko finally answered hesitantly. It was an honest enough answer, and it didn't make her look like a spacey twit who'd quit when something got too hard.

"Training to be a kunoichi will be hard work." Fugaku said coolly, studying the girl carefully. "It will push you far past your physical and mental limits, and you will have to handle your training as a miko on top of what you learn as a shinobi. Do you really believe you can handle that?"

"I can." Kagome answered stubbornly, defiance flashing in her eyes. Fugaku smirked despite himself. While he favored Kikyou more based on what he'd seen of the two girls, he had to admit that he respected Kagome's unbreakable spirit.

"Very well, then." Fugaku nodded his approval, "I will speak to the Academy about getting you in as soon as possible, and we'll see how you do. If you have the makings of a ninja, and it doesn't affect your miko training, then I will allow you to train as a kunoichi."

"Really?" Kagome said, visibly brightening as Sasuke felt his jaw hit the table. This was NOT how he was expecting things to play out!

"Indeed." Fugaku replied airily, trying to suppress his amusement at the girl's apparent glee. Turning to the elder miko-in-training, the Uchiha patriarch rose an eyebrow at the unreadable look on the girl's young face. "Kikyou, would you like to take up training at the Academy as well?" Kikyou's jaw clenched for a moment at the question, before she closed her eyes in defeat.

"Yes, Fugaku-sama." The elder twin said at last, wincing at the taste of the words that had just left her lips. She wanted absolutely nothing to do with the ninja lifestyle, and would have preferred to go on pretending that she wasn't living in a village full of people who made their living on such an abhorring lifestyle, but clearly she had no choice on the matter. Kikyou wasn't a fool, she knew that the only reason Fugaku agreed to let Kagome train as a ninja was to make her more valuable to the Uchiha clan, and she refused to stand by and allow her sister's trusting and open nature be taken advantage of as they turned her into their tool.

"Very good, then." Fugaku nodded his approval before turning to leave. Behind him, Kagome grinned boastfully at Sasuke, who sulked into his crossed arms at the recent turn of events.

"Oh come on, don't be like that Sasuke-kun." Kagome giggle wickedly as the young Uchiha glared dourly at her. "Just think, pretty soon we're gonna be classmates! We don't wanna start off on the wrong foot now, do we~?"

Kikyou had to admit, the look of horror that passed Sasuke's face as the knowledge that he'd be seeing a lot more of his fiancées was almost worth selling out on her ethics and agreeing to become the one thing in life she least wanted to be was almost worth it. Almost.

Sighing, Kikyou stood up, drawing the attention of the other two.

"I need to use the restroom." She excused herself softly, desperate to get away for a moment to collect her thoughts again. What a turn of events…

Kikyou's bid for solitude seemed to be in vain though, since just outside of the restroom she found herself face to face with yet another Uchiha. Narrowing her eyes, Kikyou regarded the dark eyed teen in front of her in detest.

"Itachi-san." She greeted grudgingly, making the older boy raise his eyebrow minutely.

"Kikyou-chan." Itachi acknowledged dispassionately in return.

"I haven't gotten the chance to thank you yet, for saving my sister today." The girl added, albeit grudgingly. "I know you have your own motives for it, but I'm still grateful that you were there." Itachi was tempted to ask the girl what she could possibly know about his motives at that, before deciding to let it pass. He had better things to do with his time then bait a five year old miko.

"Aa." He said instead with a curt nod. "I trust you and your family have been settling in nicely here in Konoha?"

"We're fine, Itachi-san." Kikyou sighed, glancing back at the room she'd left her sister in worriedly when she thought that she heard a low 'thud' of something hitting the ground. Kagome and Sasuke's bickering hadn't devolved into an all-out brawl, had it…? "Obaa-sama is setting up a garden on the plot of land your parents so kindly provided us with, and Kagome and I have been training regularly every day. With any luck, we'll be progressing to more advance training soon." That was all the Uchihas really cared about, after all. "I think Kagome's been a little lonely lately, though, and it's affecting her training." Perhaps if she said it like that, the Uchihas would loosen the chokehold they had on her twin and let her make some friends. Though Kikyou didn't care much for the company of other children herself, Kagome was the type who thrived off of having people around her that she cared about, which was why the Uchiha Compound was so stifling.

"Yes, I could see that your sister is struggling compared to you during your training today." Itachi noted, making Kikyou stiffen slightly. It was true enough, and it worked out to her advantage since she knew the Uchihas would choose whichever twin was most adept at using reiki, but she still had the urge to come to her sister's defense.

"Kagome is too kind-hearted for the way Obaa-sama teaches us." Kikyou said stiffly to the Uchiha. "She is very loving, so it's easy for her to call upon her powers, but she doesn't have a face to target all that power at yet, so it is merely great strength without a purpose." Itachi caught the underlying meaning of the girl's words, and narrowed his eyes slightly at the miko-in-training before him.

"I take it that means you do have a face to put to your target?" the teen asked in a bland tone. Kikyou gave the Uchiha a pointed look for a moment, before bowing respectfully.

"Thank you again for helping Kagome." The girl said before straightening and making her way around the shinobi without a second glance.

* * *

><p>Attack Index;<p>

*Hamaya- A sacred arrow, infused with the reiki of a miko.


	3. Two Steps Back

_Sorry this one took so long, people. I hurt my wrist a while back and had it on ice for a month or so, and then in a brace for a while after that, so I had to take it easy on the writing. Hopefully, this long chapter will make it up to all of you. The response that you guys gave to this story absolutely floored me, and I really appreciate every review that I get, so thank you all for your continued support! I'll try to have the next chapter out sooner, alright?_

**~,'*****Two Steps Back*****',~**

"Ooooh, look, look! He's looking over here, see~?"

"He is! He is! Do you think he noticed my new haircut?"

"Get real, Hanako! He's probably looking at my new outfit! I just got it yesterday, you know!"

…If there was a hell, Kikyou was sure that it'd be a lot like this.

Rolling her eyes at the mindless chatter of her fiancée's fangirls (because apparently, she and Kagome were the only girls in Konoha with an ounce of common sense and dignity between them) Kikyou raised her head out of where she'd tucked it into her folded arms just enough to shoot her sister a baleful look, which Kagome caught with a sheepish smile.

'_Sorry!'_ The younger twin mouthed silently to her sister before the pink haired girl at her side tugged at Kagome's arm for her attention.

"Kagome-chan! He's looking over here again!" the girl squealed in delight, glancing around covertly before leaning close to the young miko to whisper. "Hey, doesn't it look like he's looking in my direction, Kagome-chan? Do you think he's noticed _me_?" Despite the fact that her voice was barely more than a whisper, every other girl in the vicinity whirled around to glower at the pink haired girl for her audacity.

"Get real, forehead, why would Sasuke-kun be looking at you?" The blonde behind Kagome asked with a smirk, making the other girl blush.

"Sh-shut up, Ino-pig! It could happen!" Sakura said defensively.

"Come on, guys, don't fight. There's nothing to get so worked up about, okay?" Kagome soothed before the two could really get going. Turing to the pinkette on her right (Since Kikyou had stubbornly claimed the spot to the left of her sister, come hell or high water and none of the idiot girls that swarmed her sister were brave enough to fight her for it) Kagome added. "Sakura-chan, do you think you can help me look over my homework? You're better at bookwork then I am, and I'm not sure I got number 12 right…" Sakura puffed up proudly at Kagome's offhand praise, looking smug as she accepted Kagome's homework.

Kikyou could feel her eye twitch in irritation, and tried her best to ignore it.

The twins had been attending the Academy for about seven months now, and straight from day one Kagome's natural charisma had earned her more friends in her fellow students then even she could ever have a need for. On the other hand Kikyou, who was declared second creepiest kid in class (Aburame Shino was hands down the first, for being the weird kid who always sat by himself and played with bugs) was treated more like a social leper despite Kagome's numerous (failed) attempts to draw her into the silly games the other children played. Regardless of Kagome's concerns though, Kikyou had absolutely no desire to find friends among these ninjas-to-be. Especially when they consisted of girls like Haruno Sakura and Yamanka Ino.

Apparently, the girls had been best friends up until earlier that year before Kagome and Kikyou started attending the Academy, when they both fell in love with Uchiha Sasuke. Whatever friendship they had couldn't withstand their crushes on the arrogant dark eyed youth, since the only thing they seemed to share now was animosity. Kikyou was hardly concerned over the silly drama of her classmates, especially if it involved Sasuke, but for some reason, the two girls had decided to rope Kagome into their petty rivalry, and that was definitely something that concerned the young miko. Especially knowing how trusting her sister was, and that the girls had already thrown away friendship for their so-called 'love' once before.

Shaking her head, Kikyou pointedly ignored the other girls that had congregated around her sister. Annoying and idiotic though the young kunoichis were, they at least had the sense to leave her alone, and not involve Kagome in their problems any more than necessary. On that level, they were actually a step above the friends Kagome had made in Midori. Those three girls were annoying and idiotic AND constantly getting Kagome into even more trouble then she could find on her own, a feat that Kikyou could hardly believe was possible. Still, even those three were preferable to some of the other creatures that her sister always seemed to be drawn to.

At that thought, an approaching presence had Kikyou stiffening, her eyes going narrow in evident dislike before casting subtly in her sister's direction, to find that Kagome's attention was already on the door. Unbidden, a scowl made its way to Kikyou's face.

_Speak of the devil…_ The young miko thought irritably to herself as the door flung open to admit the dark-skinned chunin that served as their teacher. It wasn't Iruka that held her ire, though. The man was nice enough (For a ninja, anyways) and a competent teacher as well. No, the one with the latent evil aura that was currently making her stomach turn was the blond he was dragging into the classroom, who had apparently just pulled off another of his infamous pranks.

"-Honestly Naruto, what were you thinking? It's going to take ages to get that smell out of the Hokage's office… and the _stains_! You're cleaning every inch of it up tonight until the whole room shines, do you hear me? And as further punishment, I want an essay on the History of Konoha, and an apology letter to the Hokage and his assistants!" Naruto grumbled a bit at the teacher's harsh treatment of his arm, but made no further move to protest. He knew that would only get him into more trouble after all, and that was one thing Naruto most certainly didn't want.

As Iruka continued to yell at him, Naruto felt the distinct and all too familiar sensation of being glared at. Ignoring the teacher, the blond turned to see where it was coming from, but only met with jeers or annoyed faces… until he came to the twins.

_Figures…_ Naruto thought as he shrank back from Higurashi Kikyou's cold eyes. He didn't know what he had done to make the girl hate him so much on sight, but she was almost as bad as some of the grownups sometimes. And it didn't help matters at all that Kikyou was so _creepy_ and quiet, kinda like a ghost or something. She even seemed to float around like one when she walked, since those long, old-fashioned pants she always wore hid her feet from sight.

Deciding not to let Kikyou or her weirdness bug him, Naruto turned his attention one seat over to an identical face set in a much different expression. More colorful and outgoing then her twin, Kagome was shooting Naruto a sympathetic grin, her eyes brighter than usual in her amusement and Naruto couldn't help but grin back at the girl, until the really pretty pink haired girl next to her caught the younger twin's attention with something on a paper that was between the two of them on the table.

Unlike most people, Kagome was actually kinda nice to him whenever they were around each other, which wasn't as often as Naruto would like. With the mob of girls that kept stealing the young miko's attention, the besotted boy who was always giving her gifts and the really, reeeeeally creepy twin who hated his guts and was almost freakishly overprotective of her sister (which Naruto didn't really understand since Kagome seemed like she was tougher than Kikyou. The more serious Higurashi twin looked so fragile that Naruto half expected that a strong breeze would blow her away) Naruto and Kagome rarely got the chance to speak to one another. Kikyou never even tried to be subtle about the fact that she didn't want him and Kagome within spitting distance of each other, which annoyed and hurt Naruto at the same time.

_Then again, it ain't the first time people did somethin' like that to me._ Naruto mused to himself. Plenty of times before he would play with a kid only to have a mother or a father or an older sibling drag them away, and the next thing he knew that kid refused to play with him again, insisting that they'd get into trouble. The same thing had happened with Kagome, the first time they had spoken to one another, only… Kagome _didn't_ stay away. She respected her sister and grandmother enough to return to them whenever they called for her, but she still came back and smiled and talked to and played with him for as long as she could. Naruto couldn't quite figure it out, but he was grateful for it all the same since Kagome, like Iruka, kept him from feeling like he was alone.

"NARUTO! Are you even listening to me?" The chunin instructor in question bellowed, making Naruto jump about five feet in the air before stumbling backwards into the teacher's desk, sending a pile of scrolls to the floor.

"Gah!" Naruto choked out, going still in the face of Iruka's fury. _Notgoodnotgoodnotgoodnotgood…_

"Na-ru-to…" the teacher hissed out as the young ninja's face drained of color.

Well, crap.

* * *

><p>"Annoying idiot." Ino muttered, rolling her eyes as Iruka exploded at the orange eyesore, almost shattering the windows with his voice alone. A murmur of agreement went up from the other girls, save for Kagome who looked at the blonde girl with a small frown.<p>

"He's not that bad, Ino-chan." The girl admonished lightly.

"He's always pulling pranks, and getting into trouble and bugging Sasuke-kun!" Another girl huffed, somehow making it sound as if bothering the Uchiha boy was the gravest of the blond's sins. "My parents always tell me not to talk to him, or else I might get in trouble too."

"He doesn't have to listen to anybody, either." Sakura muttered darkly, trying to keep the envy out of her tone at that. She would get into trouble for not finishing her chores at home, but the blond boy could practically get away with murder, and all that would happen was that Iruka would yell at him for a bit and then send him on his merry way. The injustice of the situation made the pink haired girl feel cross.

"He's not that bad." Kagome repeated firmly. "I think he's funny, actually. He keeps things from getting boring around here, and he isn't mean about his pranks either." Not like that group of older boys was with poor Hinata-chan earlier that month.

They had tricked the shy pale eyed girl into thinking that an instructor needed her help, only to douse the poor girl in a gallon of honey in a mean-spirited joke. Kikyou had to hold her back from attacking the older boys as they rolled around like idiots on the floor, and somehow managed to break through her fury-induced haze and convince her to get Hinata-chan cleaned up before the honey made things even worse than they already were. Kagome was still a bit bloodthirsty over the boys for the rest of the day, but the next day news came to their classroom that all three of the older boys had been strung up by their toes and hung from Hokage Mountain, without a stitch of clothing between them.

Even now, no one had a clue who had gotten the upper hand over the boys, but Kagome was convinced that they were the most fantastic person to ever exist.

"Jeeze, Kagome-chan, you're too nice for your own good!" Ino huffed, making a face at Kagome's continued defense of the worst student in their class. Kikyou snorted softly to herself at that, agreeing with the blonde girl in the back of her mind. Kagome must have caught it though, since she gave her sister a dirty look before turning back to address Ino.

"That doesn't have anything to do with it, Ino-chan." The girl said, frowning softly to herself. "I just think that nobody should be alone, no matter what." The other girls looked puzzled at Kagome's confession, but Kikyou had gone still at her side, though Kagome pretended not to notice.

She knew that despite everything her sister said, that Kikyou was lonely without friends. She might have played it off like she wasn't, and insisted that Kagome was the only company she needed, but Kagome wasn't fooled for a minute. The only problem was that Kikyou never let her guard down with anybody outside of her family, and the other kids were scared of getting close to her. She had hoped that maybe that would change in this new village, among children who didn't see them as some sort of twisted demi-gods, and where Kikyou didn't feel as pressured to be so perfect all the time. Unfortunately, it seemed like ever since they got to Konoha, her sister was even more obsessed with their miko lessons, and the kids were even more intimidated by her attitude.

_She's so scared of being pushed away, that she pushes everyone else away first._ Kagome thought sadly before turning her eyes back to the blond prankster who was furiously apologizing to Iruka. _But Uzumaki-kun…_

Kagome wasn't an idiot. While she was lagging behind her sister in practical use of their reiki, her senses were just as sharp, and her eyes just as keen, so the powerful, untapped youki sealed in the boy's body was glaringly obvious to the young miko from day one. The fact that he had demonic energy didn't bother her really, since she'd made friends out of demons before despite her family's disapproval on the matter, but the thing locked away in Uzumaki Naruto was the most powerful and demonic creature she'd ever sensed. It made Danzo look like a kitten in comparison. Because of that, Kagome knew almost instantly what the blond shinobi in training was.

_Jinchuriki._ Kagome mused, chewing her lip. She'd heard about them a time or two back in Midori, but had never met one before. The founding miko of their village was very vocally against the practice of sealing demons into humans though, a disapproval that was inherited by the rest of the Higurashi clan, Kikyou included. In Midori, young reiki-users were taught that Jinchuriki were more evil then regular demons. Humans willing to sell their souls for powers they had no ways of controlling, corrupted by the evil youki of the monsters sealed inside them. But despite what she had been taught, Kagome just couldn't see Naruto as being some great evil. He was just too… _Naruto_. But because of the demon, people avoided him, hated him and feared him. It didn't seem right to Kagome, no matter what anyone else said.

"You forget, sister, that sometimes being alone is the most practical course of action." Kikyou said coolly, not taking her eyes off of Naruto as she spoke. "Some people are dangerous to be attached to, after all." Around the Higurashi twins, the other young kunoichis exchanged looks at Kikyou's cryptic words, edging away from the more solemn twin. Kagome, on the other hand, beamed cheerfully at her sister in response.

"Maybe, but I think that's a risk I'm willing to take!" the girl said, taking her sister's hand in her own. "Just because something's more 'practical' doesn't mean it's the best choice, you know."

"You'd know something about that, wouldn't you?" Kikyou snorted, but smiled despite herself. How like Kagome to say something like that…

"'Course!" Kagome giggled in response before movement caught the corner of her eye and she turned to meet Sasuke's annoyed look with a glare. While the other girls got excited when the Uchiha looked in their direction, it sort of irritated Kagome since she knew he was only doing it because of her and Kikyou.

Ever since she and her sister had been put in his class, Sasuke had become twice the jerk to them, whether it was pretending they didn't exist in class or mocking their progress as kunoichi whenever the adults weren't around to smack him for it (It never stopped Kagome from doing so in their place, though… or trying to, at any rate. On top of being annoying, Sasuke was _fast_). Like it was their fault they had a later start then the rest of their classmates! Iruka-sensei already said that they were making incredible progress for not having come from ninja families, and with the private tutoring the twins were getting from Mikoto they'd catch up with their agemates soon enough.

Seeing that no one else was looking, Kagome felt safe enough to stick her tongue out at her fiancée, which made his scowl darken for a moment before he turned back to face the front of the class with a huff. The blue eyed grin grinned triumphantly as she did the same, knowing that Iruka's lecture to Naruto would end soon enough. She would probably get yelled at by her Obaa-sama if she was caught acting like she just did, since such childish behavior was below a member of the Higurashi clan, but Sasuke was acting like a brat, so it was only fair for her to return the favor.

Privately, Kagome had to admit that arguing with the Uchiha boy was kinda fun. She never really got the chance to fight like that with anybody else due to her station in life, after all. He gave her something to focus all her hurt and anger on, without worrying her ever watchful Obaa-sama or sister. Granted, he probably didn't mean to, but Kagome was still grateful.

…Just a little, anyways. And it didn't make up for the fact that he was a complete creep.

"Enough!" Iruka roared, making his student jump. "Naruto, we'll discuss you punishment more after class! Now everyone please gather their weapons and make their way to training yard 3. We'll be working on our aim first today. And I hope you remembered to practice for taijutsu training after lunch today, since you'll be graded on your progress and a report will be sent home to your parents." This announcement was met with dismayed grumbling from the rest of the class as Kagome flinched as Kikyou shifted uneasily next to her.

Though the twins' aim was actually a lot better than most of their classmates thanks to miko training, their taijutsu was still clumsy and awkward. Kagome's was a far cry better then Kikyou, who actually succeeded in giving _herself_ a black eye a few months back when they were practicing with Mikoto, but she still wasn't anywhere near passable. Resigning herself to the embarrassment of having her butt kicked in front of her classmates, Kagome reluctantly rose from her seat, resisting the urge to growl when she saw the smug grin Sasuke was shooting them from across the room. Eye twitching, Kagome took a few deep breaths to calm herself down before she strangled her stupid, insensitive fiancée and ended up having to do that essay right alongside Naruto.

Oh yeah, Sasuke was a Grade A creep alright…

* * *

><p><em>Ouch. <em>Sasuke couldn't help but wince as the heel of Aburame Shino's hand dug soundly into the blue eyed girl's stomach, making her double over on the ground. His fiancée would be feeling that blow for a while, of that he was certain.

"Alright, that's enough." Mizuki said, coming forward to stop the fight. "Shino, well done. Your movement has become much more fluid. Kikyou, you need to work on your defense more, you're still leaving yourself too open to attacks." Coughing slightly, Kikyou shot the teacher a dirty look from her position on the ground, but made no further move to acknowledge him as her twin sprang forward to help her up.

"Yes, sensei, we'll be sure to work on that, I promise!" Kagome chirped out cheerfully after pulling Kikyou to her feet, bowing slightly to the man before helping her sister back to the throng of students awaiting their turn to fight.

"Serves her right." A girl not far off from Sasuke muttered under her breath. Her friend nodded eagerly in agreement.

"Higurashi Kikyou is always so stuck up. Acting like she better than us all the time… It's good to see someone take her down a couple pegs."

_You don't know the half of it._ Sasuke thought dryly as he watched the girls take their former place in the crowd of Academy Students, Kagome still hovering worriedly around her twin as Kikyou tried to brush her sister's concerns off. Kikyou's cool arrogance and silent disregard of those who were deemed unworthy of her attention was now almost legendary in the Uchiha clan. That, along with her obvious skills as a miko and intelligence, made her the hands down favorite to become his wife.

Not that they disliked Kagome; just like with her classmates and almost everyone else the younger miko came in contact with, Kagome had charmed her way into the hearts of the members of the Uchiha clan. A few of his distant cousins had even come forward with the generous offer to take the younger sister if Sasuke didn't want her (A tempting proposition, but one that Sasuke knew his father would never go for). Still, the general conscientious among the clan was that Kagome, while sweet and bright, was too open, or too naïve, or too stubborn, or just too _Kagome_ to make it as a ninja, and would be equally ill suited as a member of their clan.

Shaking his head, Sasuke couldn't help but wonder if his family was really seeing the same girl he was.

Higurashi Kagome was _tough_. Way tougher then her sister, and the other giggly idiot girls in his class. It was actually annoying, since Kagome didn't seem like the type at all, but she wouldn't let anyone push her or anyone else around. Despite her terrible taijutsu, she almost broke Inazuka Kiba's nose in the first week of class when the two started fighting after he made fun of her sister for her weird, formal way of talking. Kiba still wouldn't make eye contact with either of the twins after that incident.

"Alright then, for the next match up, let's have Uchiha Sasuke against Uzumaki Naruto, shall we?" Mizuki suggested mildly, bringing Sasuke out of his thoughts with an annoyed frown.

_Again?_ The Uchiha thought irritably, stepping forward at the class moron bellowed loudly and started boasting like the idiot he was. Whenever Mizuki was in charge of the Taijutsu class, he always ended up sparring against Naruto. It was really starting to get on Sasuke's nerves, since Naruto wasn't a challenge at all. How was he supposed to get better then his brother fighting some stupid loudmouth who didn't even use a proper fighting style?

Disgruntled, but too proud to reject the fight lest Naruto claim he was afraid to lose (he would say that too, the moron) Sasuke fell into a fighting position, nearly rolling his eyes when Naruto did the same.

_His footing's off. Again._ The Uchiha huffed mentally, his annoyance growing at fighting such an incompetent dobe. Really, didn't _anyone_ ever teach this kid how to fight? Even Mizuki, who was supposed to correct any bad fighting postures, didn't seem to ever notice the young blond's poor stance. Or maybe he just figured there was no point, since Naruto was an idiot and a troublemaker, anyways. Either way, this would be a quick fight.

"Start!" As soon as the call came up from Mizuki, Sasuke sprang into action, sweeping Naruto's foot out from underneath him and sending the boy off balance. Before he could recover, Sasuke followed this up with a blow to the throat that would stun the orange clad ninja, securing him the win.

"Will that do, sensei?" Sasuke asked Mizuki, unable to keep the mocking tone out of his voice as he watch Naruto roll around in the dirt.

"Yes. Well done, Sasuke. Naruto-kun, you need to improve your footing, or else the same thing will keep happening every time you fight." Mizuki scolded mildly, a smile on his face as he hauled the red-faced shinobi-in-training to his feet. Recovering, Naruto grinned the best he could at the teacher, pretending not to notice the way his classmates were mocking his pain.

"You bet, sensei! Next time I fight that jerk Sasuke, I'll kick his ass!" The blond boasted.

"I'll hold you to that, Naruto-kun." Mizuki chuckled as the boy made his way to the back of the crowd, pretending he didn't hear the cruel words being whispered by the others.

"Idiot."

"He's completely hopeless. I don't know why he doesn't just give up already."

"Yeah! All he's doing is wasting everybody's time."

"As if he could ever compare to Sasuke-kun…"

Wincing at that last one, Naruto rubbed his still tender throat with a far off look on his face as he made his way farther and farther away from the crowd, remembering the Uchiha's cobra fast blow in their embarrassingly short spar. He didn't want to admit it since Sasuke was such a creep all the time, but he sort of admired the other boy's skills with the ninja arts, even when he hated Sasuke for them at the same time. All the teachers and other students loved Sasuke, who treated everybody like they were dirt, while he had to scream at the top of his lungs to get any sort of attention at all. That was why he wanted so badly to be on the same level as Sasuke, so he could get some of that attention too.

"Uzumaki-kun?" Jumping slightly at being crept up on when he was so deep in thought, Naruto whirled around to find a blue eyed girl watching him in concern. "Are you alright?" Naruto almost cringed at the question. While he did want some attention, he didn't want anyone's pity and he was pretty sure that that's what Kagome was here to offer.

"Who me?" Naruto asked, grinning at the girl. "Pft! I'm fine! Sasuke's a wimp anyways, I've taken way worse then what he dishes out!" Kagome gave the boy a flat look, clearly not buying his lie for even one second. She looked like she was going to argue with the blond for a minute, before sighing and digging around in her pouch for something. Finding what she needed, Kagome turned back to press a small tube of medicine into the palm of Naruto's hand.

"Here. It's an ointment for bruises and swelling Obaa-sama showed me how to make. It's kinda smelly, but it works really well. I know you don't like doctors, so use some of that if your throat starts to hurt later, okay?"

"You know I don't like doctors?" Naruto repeated, startled enough by that fact to accept the medicine without his usual protest.

"Kikyou and I had to go in for a check up to attend the Academy, and I saw you arguing with some of the nurses when I was waiting for the doctor." Kagome explained airily.

"…Oh." For some reason, Naruto felt a bit embarrassed by this, but he couldn't completely figure out why.

"Kagome. Sensei is calling you to spar with Mitsubare Ayumi." Kikyou's cold voice cut in before Naruto could say anything else. "I told him you were using the bathroom, but you can't be gone much longer." Kagome groaned a bit at hearing that it was finally her turn to spar, before sighing in defeat.

"Alright, I better hurry back then." She grumbled before flashing Naruto a grin. "Take care of your throat, okay Uzumaki-kun?"

"R-right!" Naruto nodded, wide eyed. Smiling, Kagome offered the blond a wave before darting back before she got into trouble. Kikyou speared Naruto with a cold glare before turning on her heel to follow her lively sister in a more sedated pace. Naruto rolled his eyes at Kikyou's antics before glancing down at the tube in his hand with a small, sincere smile.

_Funny, how two people can look so much alike and be so different._ Naruto mused as he pocketed the ointment for later. Making his way back to watch Kagome's fight, the young boy didn't even realize that he already felt much better than he had after his disastrous spar, which had everything and nothing to do with Kagome's medicine.

* * *

><p>There were days when Kikyou hated being a twin. This was one of them.<p>

"I'm not going to say I'm sorry Kikyou, no matter how long you give me the silent treatment." Kikyou glared coldly at her sister for a moment before she turned to ignore her again. To her undying annoyance, Kagome was unfazed, and even glared right back. Somehow, sharing everything from their mother's womb to clothes and toys had made Kagome immune to the fear of Kikyou's anger that everyone else seemed to have. For the life of her, Kikyou couldn't figure out how, but it annoyed her nonetheless.

"Uzumaki-kun was hurt. As a miko, it's my duty to heal the wounded, right?"

"Not demons, Kagome." Kikyou broke her silence to huff. "Mikos are supposed to destroy any otherworldly threats to humans. Healing demons defeats the purpose of that."

"Uzumaki-kun isn't a threat!" Kagome pointed out, exasperated. "I'm not even sure you can call him a demon. The whole Jinchuriki thing seems sort of vague to me…"

"It's clear enough to show us where we should stand on the matter, Kagome." Kikyou reminded her sister harshly. "Humans who use such evil youki as a tool are the same as demons themselves."

"But he's our age, Kikyou." Kagome protested. "And anyways, I don't think he knows."

"How can someone not know that an evil of that level is sleeping inside of them?" Kikyou asked incredulously.

"Not everybody sees what we do, remember?" Kagome pointed out with an offhand shrug. "And like you said, it's _sleeping_. I mean, if he knew about it, then why wouldn't he use that power to beat the crap outta Bakasuke when they were sparring?"

"Demons are devious, little sister, or are you honestly so dim that you can't figure out when you're being fooled?" Kikyou bit back harshly, earning a look of stunned pain from her twin. It was too late for her to stop her pent up frustrations though, and so the words kept spilling out. "All this time around these barbarians and this horrible village has been corrupting you, Kagome. If you don't remember who you really are, then you'll never be able to go back to where you're supposed to be when all of this fiancée nonsense is over with!

"A miko of the Higurashi clan has no business with such vile creatures as the bijuu, and no matter how much you want to pretend differently, that Uzumaki boy is _not_ like the rest of us." Kagome was silent for a while after her sister's outburst, shadows concealing her face from her twin. Finally, Kagome spoke only two words, but the emotion in those words made everything around them fall silent with trepidation.

"You're right." Kagome said simply. "I'm not smart the way you are, or as good at being a miko, so I can't argue with you about stuff like that. And you're right about Uzumaki-kun not being like us, too. He's much stronger than we've ever needed to be. We lost Mama and Papa, our home, our future… but we still have each other, and we're treated well because we are Higurashi mikos.

"But Uzumaki-kun has _nothing_ and _no one_, and yet he still pushes ahead and dreams about being the best even though everyone just laughs at him or ignores him. So I don't care if wanting to be friends with him makes me a bad miko, since I'm already no good at it anyways. And I don't care if you hate me for being this way, either!" And, with that proclamation, Kagome turned on her heels and ran from her twin, ignoring Kikyou's cry of surprise behind her.

It just wasn't _fair_. Kikyou was the smarter twin, the calmer twin, the prodigy of the Higurashi clan. Kagome accepted that, and she was proud of her sister for it because _Kikyou_ liked it so much, and liked being good at it more than Kagome ever would. She was happy whenever something like that made Kikyou happy, so why couldn't her sister be happy whenever Kagome was? Why did she have to be so mean to people like Sakura, Ino and Naruto, just because they were Kagome's friends?

_Stupid Kikyou…_ Kagome thought bitterly, slowing down a bit now that she was sure her twin couldn't catch up. It seemed like ever since they got to Konoha, Kikyou and her grandmother had developed their own agendas, leaving her feeling lonely and out of the loop, which in turn made her even more miserable and homesick for Midori. Konoha wasn't used to outsiders, so she and her family were always the center of more than one critical eye whenever they went out somewhere, and their miko practices had turned into one big show for the Uchiha family. It seemed like everywhere she went here people were judging her, and Kagome absolutely _hated_ it.

_I want to go home._ Kagome realized, choking back a sob. She missed Midori so badly… She missed her friends, Ayumi, Eri and Yuka. She missed Souta, and her bed, and the way Kisaki-oba-san would give her free bread in exchange for finding her wayward cat whenever it got loose. She missed feeling close to Kikyou, and knowing that there were no secrets between her and her sister.

Mostly though, she missed the way her mama would hug her when she cried, and make everything feel better again.

There, lost in a forest in Konoha, Kagome finally found her breaking point after months of pretending she was okay. Curled up against the rough bark of a big oak tree, the little miko threw away her mask of happiness and proceeded to cry her eyes out.

* * *

><p>Where is she? Where IS she?<p>

Kikyou was half a second away from hyperventilating. Pushing her panic down the best she could, the little miko scanned the crowd frantically for her twin, cursing herself with every step that she took. She couldn't believe she did something so stupid! Kagome was just being Kagome with this whole Naruto thing, she knew that. Just like she knew that Naruto was making it a point to keep his distance from her naïve twin whenever she was around to keep an eye on them. She didn't have anything to worry about, so why did she have to go and blow up like that?

_This horrible place is corrupting the both of us._ Kikyou thought bitterly, wiping back angry tears with the sleeve of her haori as she pressed on through the crowd. She hated Konoha, and ninjas and the Uchihas so much, she could barely stand it. More than anything, Kikyou wished she could just go home, back to where she and her family were together and happy and she didn't have to live among people who happily made a career out of lying, murder and deception. It was the stress of living in Konoha that made Kikyou say all those terrible things to her sister. She knew that Kagome wasn't stupid, but seeing her smiling so happily for their stupid classmates… watching her hand healing ointments to a demon who could turn around and tear out her throat… Kikyou just couldn't _stand_ it!

_They're going to destroy her with her own kindness._ Kikyou realized, blowing out a frustrated sigh. And all I can do is sit by and watch it happen.

"Hey! Watch where you're going, ya dumb bitch!"

Kikyou stilled at that. For the first time in as long as she could remember, she wasn't thinking about Kagome, or miko training, or worrying about this fiancée business. Instead, she turned slowly to give a measured look to the older boy scowling down at her who had the audacity to call her a dumb bitch, a murderous haze settling down around her as she regarded the boy with a deceptively calm expression.

"Excuse me. I don't believe I heard you correctly just now." She said in a neutral tone. "What did you just call me?"

"I said you were a dumb bitch!" The boy huffed back angrily. "You almost bowled me over right now! What, was your nose so high in the air that you couldn't see us little people here on earth, your majesty?"

'SNAP'

Somewhere deep, deeeeeep in the recesses of Kikyou's mind, a part of her made note of the fact that Taijutsu seemed much more practical when you actually wanted to beat your opponent within an inch of his life, rather than just participate in a grotesque little charade of a school that was churning out future killing machines. Another part of her was whining that now her hand was going to hurt for the rest of the night, but most of her was too busy being satisfied at the absolutely dumbstruck look the now bleeding boy was wearing to care.

"…THE FUCK-?" The boy howled, grabbing his nose and glaring at Kikyou as he picked himself up off the ground. "You HIT me! What the Hell is wrong with you?"

"Did it ever occur to you," Kikyou hissed back, her voice low and dangerous as she glared at the older boy with stormy gray eyes. "that I might have a REASON for being in a hurry? Like maybe trying to find my sister before she gets lost, or hurt, or someone tries to kidnap her again? How _dare_ you go around judging someone you don't know like that!" The boy looked speechless for a moment until the embarrassment kicked in when he heard bystanders giggling at his predicament.

"What, and that gives you the right to punch me? Friggin bitch, you broke my nose!" He howled angrily.

"Call me a bitch again and I'll break more than that." Kikyou promised darkly. This earned more laugher from the surrounding Konoha citizens, and a few whispered jeers as well.

"That boy's causing trouble again? Honestly, why the Hokage doesn't just get rid of him and that Uzumaki boy…"

"It's an embarrassment. All these demons walking around Konoha… it's just not _right_."

"Well, it's good to see the priestess putting it in its place. Maybe she'll get rid of it for us."

_Wait… demon?_ Kikyou backtracked, some of her rage ebbing in favor of shock and confusion. Pausing for a moment, the young miko studied the boy again, without her worry for Kagome or rage at his manners (or lack thereof, really) to blindside her sharp spiritual senses. Sure enough, she did sense some youki from him. But it was different from more demons she had met… distorted, somehow. It took her a moment to realized what that meant, but when the truth hit her, it made her eyes widen in shock.

_Hanyou…_ She thought blankly, studying the boy's inhumanly golden eyes and snowy white hair with greater interest. She had never met a hanyou before, though she had heard a great deal about them. Like Jinchuriki, hanyous were subjects of abject hatred in Midori, but honestly Kikyou had a much harder time convincing herself that hanyous were the great evil that youkai and Jinchuriki were. Youkai were corrupt by nature, save for the rare few that kept to themselves or developed a fondness for humans, and Jinchuriki were humans who sold their bodies and soul for powers they were not meant to control, but hanyou… hanyous were just victims of circumstance, really. You don't have any say over who your parents are, after all. Besides, they _were_ half demon, but they were half _human_ as well.

The boy seemed to hear the comments as well, if the expression on his face was anything to go by. It seemed that he was used to hearing things like the villagers were currently saying, but it looked like it was still hitting him rather hard. For reasons the miko didn't fully understand, she felt a curl of sympathy for the boy, which made her turn her cold eyes to those watching. Catching her gaze, most of them hastily turned back to what they were doing before Kikyou and the hanyou started fighting, and the young miko felt a small curl of satisfaction at knowing that she could still intimidate others so easily… other than Kagome, at any rate. Turning back to the hanyou, Kikyou found him watching her with unguarded surprise at her silent reprimand of the villagers.

"Other people have no right to inject themselves into a private fight." She said, a touch defensively. She didn't even know herself, after all, what had driven her to come to the defense of this rude hanyou. "A-anyways, I don't have time to waste teaching you manners! I need to find my sister as soon as possible." And, with a final huff at the half demon boy, Kikyou turned to continue on her way. The boy watched her go with an unreadable expression for a moment before he too left, a troubled look on his face.

* * *

><p>Thwick! Thwick! Thwick!<p>

Grumbling to himself, Sasuke glared death at the kunais that were mocking him by hitting just a couple inches off-center of the targets he had set up. Still not perfect. _Still_ no good. Frustrated, Sasuke reluctantly moved to collect the deadly throwing knives after a glance at the waning sun told him that it was getting dangerously close to dinner time. Prior experience had taught the boy that training was not an excuse to be late for a meal in his mother's eyes, and he didn't want to get scolded for being late again.

After gathering his tools, Sasuke hastily started towards the Uchiha Compound. If he hurried, he could make it in time to wash up and change, so he didn't have to hear THAT lecture either. Besides, Itachi was supposed to be home from his mission today, to infiltrate rock on the information they'd gotten out of the guys who tried to kidnap Kagome. Maybe if he bugged him enough, Itachi would tell him about what happened. The missions was supposed to be top secret, but surely his brother could tell him something-!

"Sniff… hic… sniff…"

Sasuke slowed to a stop as the sound of a girl's crying reached his ears, wide eyes turning in the direction of the source. Curiosity and discomfort warred inside him for a moment, since this training ground was private, for Uchiha use only and it was an unspoken rule that Fugaku and his family were the only ones allowed to use the grounds during this time. Unbidden, Sasuke felt his feet leading him around the large tree that blocked his path to the person making all that noise. As soon as he rounded the plant, Sasuke's eyes landed on the trembling mass at it's roots, widening when he recognized the crying girl.

"Kagome?" He said uncertainly. Yes, the girl looked like his fiancée, and wore the same simple green and white kunoichi dress that Kagome had taken to wearing since entering the Academy, but she was _crying_. Sasuke had known the Higurashi girls for nearly a year now, and never once had he seen either miko shed a single tear. Kikyou he was pretty sure was just plain incapable of the act, but Kagome… He'd always figured that Kagome was way stronger than that. She had always seemed like the sort of his who'd take on the world without flinching. Even after she was nearly kidnapped, she hadn't seemed phased in the least. But now…

"G'way…" Kagome mumbled into her sleeve, not looking at Sasuke. The Uchiha frowned at the order, glaring down at the girl.

"No." He said mulishly. "These are my family's training grounds, I can stay if I want to." The girl didn't respond to this, which made Sasuke sigh irritably. She must've been really bad, if she wouldn't even fight with him… "What happened?"

"…Kikyou." Kagome confessed at last, sounding absolutely heartbroken. "Kikyou hates me."

…What?

"What?" Sasuke said, disbelief clear in his tone. That was something he didn't believe for a second. The Higurashi twins were creepily close, after all, even if they had nothing in common. "Why?"

"It doesn't matter." Kagome said in a watery voice. "Ever since Mama died, I've been losing everybody. F-first it was Souta and my friends and everyone in Midori… Then Obaa-sama and Kikyou started acting so weird that I pretty much lost them too. It's not fair!" Sasuke shifted around uncomfortably at that. Crying girls were NOT something he'd ever been good at handling. When the first girl to ever confess to him burst into tears after he said she was boring and gross and he didn't want to be her boyfriend, Sasuke had been struck speechless as a result. After all, he was a _ninja_, and ninjas just _don't cry_. Especially not for stupid reasons like that! But though he didn't like the girl, the knowledge that he had made someone cry didn't sit well with him, and left him feeling so guilty, he couldn't sleep for the next two nights until he sat down and talked to Itachi about how to properly reject a girl's crush.

Ever since then, even if it wasn't his fault, crying girls had always made him feel a little guilty and helpless, and he never knew what to say when confronted with one.

"Well if you act like a crazy banshee all the time, of course everybody's gonna run away." Sasuke started internally cursing himself as soon as those words left his lips. Fortunately though, instead of crying at his insult, Kagome lifted her head to glare blackly at the boy. An angry Kagome was more natural and easier to deal with then a crying one. Grateful to have gotten some kind of reaction out of her that wasn't tears, Sasuke bravely continued on. "I mean, Kiba's still scared of you girls, and it takes a lot to get through to that stupid mutt. The only person in the class dumber than him is Naruto."

"You're such a jerk." Kagome said, frustration in her tone as she wiped at her eyes to clear away the remnants of her tears. Why was it that everything kept coming back to Naruto today, anyways? A sign of something to come, maybe?

"For what it's worth though, I'm pretty sure Kikyou doesn't hate you." Sasuke added, ignoring her insult.

"What would you know about her?" The young miko demanded bitterly. Sasuke said nothing to that, making Kagome sigh heavily. "I just… I want to go home. I don't _belong_ here." That made Sasuke annoyed.

"What, so you're just gonna give up on your shinobi training? Just because you and your sister had some stupid fight?" He snapped at her, earning a look of surprise. "What happened to all that big talk about getting stronger, huh? Guess you're no different than the rest of those airheaded girls in class, after all…"

"I didn't say anything about giving up!" Kagome protested, jumping to her feet to scowl at Sasuke. "I miss my family! Is that a crime now, your highness?"

"Yeah, right." Sasuke said, rolling his eyes. "I bet as soon as you get home, you're gonna go whining to your grandmother about how hard it is here, and how you don't wanna be a ninja anymore."

"The only thing hard here is your head!" Kagome snapped, her rage practically tangible in the air around her. "I LIKE the Academy! Ninja training is fun, and way less boring then learning to be a miko!" Her anger ebbed a bit as a guilty look overtook her face. "…But… I don't think Kikyou likes it very much. She only has to do it cause I wanted to, and that's not really all that fair to her. Maybe that's why she hates me."

"_She doesn't hate you_." Sasuke sighed at the girl's obtuseness. "Ask her yourself, if you don't believe me. Or are you too chicken to do that?" Kagome gave him a withering glare at that before turning and stomping off in the direction of her apartment.

"Creep…" she muttered under her breath as she left, making Sasuke grin in triumph.

…At least until he realized he was almost twenty minutes late for dinner.

"…CRAP!"


End file.
